A member of the Pentacle Drummers performs in front of a burning wicker man during the Beltane Festival at Butser Ancient Farm, in Waterlooville, Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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Pa Reporters1 May 2022
Giant bonfires were lit as darkness fell on the last day of April as part of an ancient Celtic celebration to mark the beginning of summer.
A giant wicker man, this year representing an Iron Age warrior, is seen before being set alight at the Beltain Festival at Butser Ancient Farm in Waterlooville, Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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Wishes are placed inside the wicker man before it is set alight (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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The May Queen and Green Man dance in front of the giant wicker man as part of the ancient ritual (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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The fire is lit, as an historical interpreter representing an Iron Age Briton watches on (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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Members of the Pentacle Drummers perform in front of the burning wicker man (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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The Hampshire event was popular with onlookers, while similar celebrations took place elsewhere across the country too (Andrew Matthews/PA)
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In Edinburgh, the May Queen and Green Man arrived to the dramatic surroundings of Calton Hill (Jane Barlow/PA)
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The large-scale reinterpretation of the ancient celebration featured dozens of participants (Jane Barlow/PA)
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The Green Man led a dramatic performance with fire (Jane Barlow/PA)
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Hundreds of spectators gathered for the event, in the shadow of the National Monument (Jane Barlow/PA)
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