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Beltane cross-quarter day and late spring light
May Day observation of frost, rain, and birdsong at the vernal equinox–summer solstice midpoint, with first light 05:25, sunrise 06:33, sunset 20:45, last light 21:53, and the cross-quarter moment at 07:52 on May 5.
A frost touched yesterday, rain followed this morning. Birds are already at it—calling, working, filling the air. The gardens and the wider world are waking.
This is the midpoint between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice. May Day. Beltane. Late spring.
First light came at 05:25, sunrise at 06:33. Sunset will be 20:45, last light 21:53.
It’s a moment of Day-Breaking, when daylight takes command after winter’s long nights and early spring’s chill. Call it Day-Bursting, echoing the Old Irish Lábrioscadh. Or, following northern roots, Sun-Breaking—Sólbrjótandi.
The cross-quarter moment lands at 07:52 local time on May 5.