Much of the World Celebrates May 1st as May Day Based Around Ancient Traditions
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| image credit - "Petal Girls" by Pete Ashton |
May 1st was the first day of Summer for these folk. It's date landed precisely half way through the year from their first day of Winter, November 1st, also their New Year. Some traditions began the holiday festivities on the eve of May 1st, particularly those who celebrated with the lighting of bonfires.
With the Summer warmth returning in full-swing, people had much to be happy about. The harshness of Winter was gone, and even the days of a potential cold March and April had passed. May 1st marked a joyous day, and it marked one of the rights of passage through the turning wheel of seasons through the year.
Today, May Day is still celebrated around the world. There are different ways in which it is celebrated, however, the theme is all alike. Celebrating with flowers, dancing with intertwining ribbons around a maypole, and the lighting of bonfires are common throughout. It's a big party!
Please note that May 1st is also the date of other May Day holidays of more current times revolving around work, labor, and bank holidays. These are nice holidays, but we will not be covering these holidays in this article, as they are completely different in origin and history.
The Origin of May Day Traditions
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| image credit - by Roberto Rizzato depicting Bartolomeo Veneto's "Flora, the Goddess of Spring" |
Romans celebrated "Flora" as May Day after the Roman Goddess of Flowers. Flora was a goddess of fertility, flowers, fruit-bearing vines and trees, and grains. Her appearance is first seen in Ancient Greece, when she was known as "Chloris."
The Germanic people called their May Day "Walpurgis Night," a night celebration of bonfires similar to the nightly Beltane festivals of the Celts. Walpurgis Night was a celebration of Fertility and the upcoming Summer.
For the Celts, it was their festival of Beltane, and celebrated with the lighting of bonfires. Today, Neo-pagans, Wiccans, Christo-pagans continue to celebrate May Day as Beltane, incorporating bonfires, dance, maypoles, and flowers into their festivals.
Traditional Ways to Celebrate May Day Today
- from Europe to the British Isles to the Americas
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| image credit - "Maypole Dancer" by Michael Zupon |
In the British Isles, May Day celebrations most commonly involve traditional May flowers, a Crowning of the May Queen, and dancing around the Maypole. The May Queen wears a long white dress symbolizing purity and a white tiara placed upon her head. Often she is also adorned in white flowers. As May Queen, she leads the May Day celebrations and festivities. Dancing around a maypole is performed by different age groups in the style of Morris Dancing and symbolizes fertility.
In Ireland, most old pagan traditions of lighting bonfires have long gone with the wide-spread increase of Christianity. Today, the Irish celebrate May Day as "Mary's Day." If you see a portrait of Mary with Spring and Summer flowers, this is a depiction of Mary's Day." It should be noted, however that, with the increase in understanding and appreciation of old ways and with a rise in neo-paganism, some folk do celebrate the traditions of Beltane on May Day or May Day's Eve with lighting of bonfires to symbolize the upcoming welcomed longer Summer days.
In France, the Lily of the Valley flower is the symbol of May Day. It is small white bell-shaped flower that grows naturally and in abundance around late April into Early May. Christians say it is a symbol of the tears Mary cried during her son's crucifixion. For others, it is simple a gesture of Springtime and good luck. It is customary for people to give others a Lily of the Valley flower on this day.
In Germany, Finland, and Sweden, May Day is celebrated similarly, although in Germany, the traditions are more elaborate. In Finland and Sweden there are street festivals and bonfires of the old Walpurgis Night tradition. In Germany there are also the bonfires of Walpurgis Night, however, there is also dancing around the Maypole.
As I said, in Germany the festivities are a bit more elaborate. Anytime secret romantic love is involved, things tend to get more elaborate. Perhaps a better word is a sarcastic "complicated." In theory though, it sounds lovely, as it is a time for secret admirers to leave their secret anonymous message for their heart's desire. A man might carry a maypole to the home of the woman he secretly admires, and a women, conversely, might place roses or rice in the shape of a heart outside the home of her secret admirer. Whether or not they tell their secret love's it is a romantic gesture from themselves is completely up to each individual.
In the Americas, May Day is also celebrated.
In Canada, the day is celebrated further into the month and typically only within British Columbia. May 1st is a time that can still be pretty cold in Canada. They wait for more warmth and Spring-like days! The style of celebration is that of Great Britain.
In Hawaii, May Day is traditional known as Lei Day. Yes, this is when we see many beautiful Lei necklaces with all the interwoven flowers the season has to offer. In Hawaii, May Day celebrations focus primarily on the island's culture and history of it's peoples.
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| image credit - "Maypole" by Konrad Glogowski depicting the maypole at the Music Garden in Toronto, Canada |
The May Day Maypole - What is a Maypole?
The Maypole is a pole that is erected on May Day during many of the May Day Celebrations. The most common custom is to dance around the maypole with ribbons. The dance choreography allows the ribbons to be interwoven as they spiral down the pole. Many maypoles are also beautifully decorated with flowers, while others are painted with vibrant colors.
Maypole symbolism includes fertility, celebration of sacred trees, and they may have been symbols of the world's axis, a connection between two worlds (i.e. Heaven and Earth).
Spring and Summer are the months of mating. That's for sure. You can feel it in the air and animals get kind of wacky and bees pollinate. I know particularly well that "wolf call" are in high numbers during the first warm days of Spring. So yes, the maypole is often a symbol of fertility with young maidens dancing around the maypole. It is a symbol of fertility among people, but it is also one in that people are dancing and hoping that the growing season will be a bountiful harvest come Autumn.
Many maypole's represent sacred trees. The "World Tree" is one of these sacred trees. The maypole is a symbol of the World Tree's reaching upward into the universe, being here with humanity on Earth, and the roots reaching down into the Under World or our ancestor's resting place. Two other sacred trees represented by a maypole are "Thor's Tree," a sacred Ash, and "Yggdrasil," a tree that cradled the whole Universe.
The World's Axis, heard sometimes in Latin as "Axis Mundi," goes back to early Christianity and has "pagan roots." This axis connects all that is above with all that is below. It is the central focal point of the Universe connecting the Heavens and Earth.
I wrote another article that is dedicated to celebrating the World Tree, also known well as the "Tree of Life." titled "Celebrate Spring with the Tree of Life."
Children Performing the Maypole Dance
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| image credit - "Children Perform the Maypole Dance" by Anguskirk - Today, Maypole dancing is often performed by lovely little girls dressed in their best whites. It's a celebration of children. |
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| image credit - "May Flowers on the Door Knob" by Alyss |
May Day Flower Baskets and Bouquets
The flower arrangements are quite lovely. In many traditions, the flower baskets and bouquets are left in secret at neighbors' door steps. It's a community day of giving and receiving flowers.
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| image credit - photo by Susan Reimer of May Day flowers in Annapolis, Md |
Learn More About May Day
by author Sara Hannant is a loved, well-received book filled with photography, information and humor.It's in hardcover with 256 pages. It's surely a book for the coffee table.
Share Your May Day Stories
If your May Day tradition is not listed here, you can share it with us below in the comments. Feel free to share your May Day personal stories and traditions here below in the comments too. I would love to hear all about it, and I am sure others would as well. So, share. :)
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