So who is the Green Man? There are folk customs all over Europe where a man dressed in foliage is ceremonially 'put to death' to bring about regeneration. Similarly Jack-in the-Green is 'executed' to 'renew the world'. This takes place during the Pagan festival known as Beltane (1st May) and celebrates the coming of spring and the rebirth of the earth. On the South coast an annual ceremony is held where Jack-in-the Green is ceremoniously 'killed' to release the spirit of summer.