Beltane, one of the four great festivals of the Celtic year marks the beginning of summer. The old Celtic name of Beltane is derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Bealtaine' or the Scottish Gaelic 'Bealtuinn', meaning Bel-fire, the fire of the Celtic God of Light (Bel, Beli, or Belinus). Other names for May Day include Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain). Beltane celebrations were principally a time of sexuality and fertility, and we see this in the phallic symbolism of the Maypole - which in itself has it's origins in the Hindu lingham, the symbol of life.