{"podcast":{"title":"Macabre London","slug":"macabre-london-664347","podcast_index_feed_id":664347,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6422d088b548a8001145fde9","website_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/macabre-london-1","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6422d088b548a8001145fde9/show-cover.jpg","author":"Macabre London Podcast","episode_count":229,"summary":"Do you like your history haunted? Then Macabre London is the podcast for you. Every fortnight we'll unravel a tale that's gruesome, horrifying or downright macabre. Get bonus content on Patreon (https://open.acast.com/public/patreon/fanSubscribe/806851) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-16T12:21:32.575257+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/macabre-london-664347"},"episode":{"title":"The History of Beltane & May Day in London - Watching a 40ft Wicker Man BURN!","slug":"the-history-of-beltane-may-day-in-london-watching-a-40ft-wicker-man-burn","published_at":"2026-06-04T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/macabre-london-664347/the-history-of-beltane-may-day-in-london-watching-a-40ft-wicker-man-burn","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/macabre-london-664347","url":"https://shows.acast.com/macabre-london-1/episodes/6a20d563f8e85cfada062f48","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6422d088b548a8001145fde9/e/6a20d563f8e85cfada062f48/media.mp3","summary":"Have you ever wondered about the origins of May Day and why we get a day off on the bank holiday? Well, you can thank your randy ancestors who were all about getting drunk and hooking up on the first of May. As the cold of winter thawed, people emerged from their homes and were looking for other humans to socialise with. Over time, this turned into a celebration which spanned most of Europe. Beltane is a celtic fire festival which turned into May Day and it's been celebrated in London for centuries in many different incarnations. Learn all about the maypole and why it upset Christians and how it used to be ok to knock off with people without judgement, How tall was London's largest Maypole, what happened to it and how did these celebrations mutate into a huge 40ft Wicker Man fire festival a short way outside London in Hampshire...all that and more on today's episode. Thanks to Butser Ancient Farm for the press invite to the Beltane festival - be sure to check them out here: https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/ So if you're interested in magick, the occult, historical beliefs, witchcraft and just how the religion we know today was developed and forged in the old fires, with the occasional human sacrifice thrown in, then make sure you join me, this is just the beginning! This series is sponsored by Snag - Clothing for Every Body! Make sure you check them out www.snagtights.com ------------------------ If you love British true crime, unsolved mysteries, and historical murders, don’t miss this episode! Also available wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/macabrelondon ------------------------- Be sure to check out my other podcast, Killers, Cults & Queens https://podfollow.com/queens --------------------------- SUPPORT ———————— Paypal - paypal.me/macabr…","meta_description":"Have you ever wondered about the origins of May Day and why we get a day off on the bank holiday? Well, you can thank your randy ancestors who were all ab…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2132,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/macabre-london-664347/episodes/the-history-of-beltane-may-day-in-london-watching-a-40ft-wicker-man-burn/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/macabre-london-664347/the-history-of-beltane-may-day-in-london-watching-a-40ft-wicker-man-burn.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}