Join our May Day Magic Ritual – Celebrate May 1st Worldwide

Join our May Day Magic Ritual - Celebrate May 1st Worldwide

Join us in a May Day Magic ritual on May 1st (Beltane) to anoint each other from our own homes with a ritual crown, in a reworking of the May Day Queen folk tradition.

May Day Magic is an annual worldwide ritual that takes place every May 1st. We all come together in spirit to anoint each other with a magical May Day crown as a symbolic of self-empowerment, magical community and respect for each other’s own personal magical journeys. You can partake in the #MayDayMagic ritual wherever you are in the world – including in your own home, using whatever you have to hand. Let us honour our own journeys and come together in these troubled times. We shall all wear the crown.

Join our May Day Magic ritual on May 1st

Every year, on the first of May, we invite folk worldwide to work light magic together. Celebrate yourself, your own power, and celebrate others. This ritual to anoint others in the ritual circle with a symbolic crown is a coming-together in times of self-isolation. We’d love you to join us in this ritual of peace, community and respect! Who’s in? Read on to see how to take part (we’ve spoken with all kinds of members in our community to make the ritual as inclusive as possible) and you can also find out more in our co-founder’s interview with Luna Luna Magazine.

How to Take Part

You can do this wherever you are in the world. You can do it from your bedroom. It is a nod to the folk tradition of the May Queen being crowned annually on 1st May, but we’ve taken gender out of the equation. Let us honour the greatest aspects of folk tradition by all wearing a magical May Day crown gifted by another!

Create a ritual crown by any means – flowers, crystal, tracings in the air… whatever works. See below for past examples in our gallery to inspire you. Then, on May 1st in your own timezone…

  1. Create a ritual space
  2. Anoint another with your crown, knowing you too have been anointed
  3. Ground and close the ritual space.

Here’s an example ritual to help you along, but you are invited and encouraged this ritual your way. It is the intent and the crowning that matters above all, dear hearts!

1. Create a Magical Space

  • Take four deep breaths.
  • For each breath, count in for four, hold for four and release for four.

Build energy with your breath and move from a mundane space to a magical one, wherever you are. This step will prepare you for positive, powerful action.

2. Create a ritual May Day crown from pure intent

Creating a ritual May Day wreath for another is a transformative act of beauty. We are, for one stretched moment, loosely bound in a circle of kindness and positive energies. You can create a ring of crystals, or twigs, or flowers, or paint a crown… there are so many ways.

If you have absolutely nothing to hand, you can use your finger as a wand and draw a circle in the air during the crowning ritual itself. This represents the crown you will bestow on another.

3. Crown another in the circle

  1. Point your wand-finger through the energy circle you have made.
  2. Pulse love through the circle. With this action you have sent on your magical May Day crown.

You may also offer a simple incantation, saying the words out loud or silently to yourself. Here’s an example:

“With this circle I crown thee on the first of May. So shall it be.”

You can then ground and close the ritual in the manner of your choosing. If you don’t have much time, or you struggle with focusing for lengthy periods, or you have any difficulties with mobility, then just as an example you can breathe four deep breaths to ground your magical energies once more.

Now that you have anointed the next person in the circle with your crown, the #MayDayMagic ritual is over and the circle is complete.

Join our May Day Magic Conversation

Share your May Day magic & folklore vibes, ritual spaces and crowns xxx

Have a question? Scroll down for FAQs

For inspiration, here are some exquisite ideas from our community…

Find more creative examples in our gallery.

We’ve offered example variations on this part of the ritual below. Please do what works best for you.

Do the May Day Crowning Ritual Your Way.

We will never tell you how to do your magic. You can take the example script above and change it however you wish. Perform the ritual in a way which best suits your personal preferences and needs.

The key thing is to create a crown and impart it to the next person in the circle.


Some Other Ways to Create a Crown Imbued with May Day Magic…

Make a physical crown. This can be done as part of the ritual or prepared in advance. You may, perhaps, wish to make a circle of wildflowers or crystals, of supple sticks or ribbons.

Draw a circle or crown on a piece of paper. As you draw the circle you can do your best to focus and create the necessary energy, pushing it through the pen or pencil and into the line of the circle, while the circle is physically being made.

Fill the ritual with summer’s light. May Day is the birth of summer, after all! You may choose to set a decorated candle in the centre of the crown. You could draw the energy circle in the air using a lit flame, e.g. a lighter. If you’re drawing a circle of energy in the air, you could shine a mobile phone’s light through its centre as a tool to represent the energy passing through.

May Day Crowning FAQs

Have you any questions? We’ll aim to supply the answers here.

How do I join the circle?

You join simply by taking part. You can also join in the conversation on #MayDayMagic if you wish.

Do I need to tell anyone if I’ve joined the circle?

No. You can be anonymous if you so choose. No-one in the circle is numbered or named.

Do I have to be a witch to do this?

No. Identify how you choose. You don’t have to be a witch to take part in this magical ritual.

Does the ritual still count if I do it differently?

YES. Your ritual counts, however you choose to perform it. We have aimed to create a ritual that can be performed by people of all abilities and all genders, but you’ll know your needs and preferences best. Do it your way and it will always count.

I have a disability which means I can’t do this ritual in the way you’ve described. What can I do?

If you wish to take part then please do the ritual in a way that works for you. We will be pleased to share any insights or recommendations you offer here in the FAQs or via Twitter to benefit other witches who relate to your concerns.

If I’m the first/last person in the chain or someone drops out will I still get/receive a crown?

Join the two ends of a chain and it is a circle. Whether there are four or four thousand people in the circle, everyone who takes part wears the crown and imparts a crown to another.

What if I’ve done the ritual but the person crowning me hasn’t done theirs yet?

Time is not linear. The circle element of the ritual holds us all together. GMT and EST time zones don’t matter. If you did your ritual in the morning and someone does their ritual in the evening, it doesn’t matter. The circle holds us together. You’ll be anointed with your crown the moment you complete your ritual.

Why perform this ritual on May Day?

In folklore traditions still carried out to this day, a May Queen is chosen to lead May Day celebrations. She is crowned the May Queen by the queen of the year before. May Day celebrations mark the beginning of summer and a time of light. Pagans will also recognise May 1st is also the day of Beltane. We think it a fine idea to work altruistic light magic on the first day of summer. However, you will notice that at no point does our May Day Magic ritual refer to May Queens, in order to be inclusive of all genders.

Why is the ritual opened and closed with four deep breaths?

Four is a good number. It echoes the four seasons, which seems ideal for a ritual held on the first day of summer. Four represents the four quarters, the four winds and the four elements.

If you relate to another number for different reasons, use your number.

If you choose to open and close a magical space in a different way, such as the drawing of the four quarters, please do.

Can I send good wishes of e.g. prosperity or health in this ritual?

We will not tell you how to work your magic. However, the base ritual we offer makes no mention of specific positive results because we are all different and need different things. The crown is a symbol of empowerment and is gifted to each of us by another as a symbol of good spirit. It is a universally positive intent.

So this circle is built on trust?

Trust is a key part of the circle. That said, steps have been taken to ensure that if any malice or harm is intended, the crown reverts onto the head of the sender. The summer light circle remains complete.

Why is the #MayDayMagic symbol a heart in a ring?

The circle with a heart at its centre is protective and powerful. It echoes an atom that brings forth all things. A wormhole. A crown of love. It echoes the alchemic symbol for the sun… as befits summer magic. You are welcome to choose another symbol – if you are working sigil magic into your ritual, for example. We ask only that any symbol is based on a circle, for the circle is the crown.

LET US JOIN TOGETHER FOR MAY DAY MAGIC. WE SHALL ALL WEAR THE CROWN.