May Day is a European festival that dates back nearly a thousand years.
It marks the beginning of summer and is usually celebrated at the beginning of May - halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
It's thought to have been inspired by three older festivals, namely Beltane fires, Walpurgisnacht and Floralia.
People around the UK celebrate May Day in lots of different ways including maypole dancing, Morris dancing and crowning a May Queen.
It marks the beginning of summer and is usually celebrated at the beginning of May - halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
It's thought to have been inspired by three older festivals, namely Beltane fires, Walpurgisnacht and Floralia.
People around the UK celebrate May Day in lots of different ways including maypole dancing, Morris dancing and crowning a May Queen.
Some villages in the UK hold fetes where children dance around the maypole
May Day is thought to be a combination of three ancient festivals which can be traced back to Roman times.
But it wasn't until the Medieval period when it became a festival in the British Isles.
People in towns and villages would eat lots of food and dance - traditions that have continued into the modern day.
May Day celebrations, along with other festivities like Christmas, were banned in the 1640s by the Puritans - but King Charles II later brought it back.
The first May Day holiday was established in 1978 and traditions are still going strong in many villages around the UK.
There are lots of superstitions around May Day which date back to the Victorians.
They include waking up before dawn to wash your face in the dew and gathering flowers for your friends to wear.
Villages prepare fetes and parades on floats before eating lots of yummy food.
Often children and adults dance around a maypole on the village green which has ribbons around it. These dances have been passed down from generation to generation.
A May Queen is usually crowned too. A local girl is usually chosen for the role and will lead the May Day celebrations.
They include waking up before dawn to wash your face in the dew and gathering flowers for your friends to wear.
Villages prepare fetes and parades on floats before eating lots of yummy food.
Often children and adults dance around a maypole on the village green which has ribbons around it. These dances have been passed down from generation to generation.
A May Queen is usually crowned too. A local girl is usually chosen for the role and will lead the May Day celebrations.
People dress up as The Green Man
Some people dress themselves up as The Green Man, also known as Jack-in-the-Green.
The Green Man symbolises the cycle of new growth that happens each spring.
You might also see Morris dancers, people who wear bells on their legs and dance with sticks. Morris dancing is a form of ancient folk Dance in England.
What is Beltane?
This Iron Age Celtic ritual marks the birth of the summer.
Though Beltane has been celebrated for thousands of years, modern celebrations can include acrobatics, drummers, dancers, musicians, witches and spectators.
In the past, fire was once seen as a purifier and healer so farmers would have led their cattle between bonfires to protect them before they were put into the fields for summer.
What is Calan Mai?
Some people in Wales celebrate Calan Mai on 1 May.
Like May Day celebrations, people in some towns and villages will dance, sing and eat to celebrate the coming of summer.
Although they're both called May Day, they're not actually related - although it is the reason why we get a May Bank Holiday.
International Worker's Day is also known as Labour Day and is mainly celebrated in places like America, Canada and Australia.
It's a celebration of the achievement of workers and has origins in the eight-hour day movement which stood for eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours of down-time.
Words and images above taken from article here
... and why not enjoy this meal over the weekend
'Healthy Sausage Casserole' : Packed With Vegetables
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Well, here it is. This all-in-one-dish dinner is packed with veggies.
you can use lean sausages or veggie sausages
see recipe/more details here
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All the best Jan
Good information on May Day. It's not something that's celebrated here in the states.
ReplyDeleteThe sausage casserole is one that my hubby would like. Thanks!
Dear Jan, have a lovely weekend. The sausage casserole looks very tasty.
ReplyDeleteHappy May Day!
ReplyDelete...in the early '50s we danced around the maypole in school.
ReplyDeleteOne of the schools my daughters attended celebrated May Day. I remember the excitement about the May Pole and the dancing. What fun!!
ReplyDeleteYou have a much cooler May Day than in the states
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and interesting post. When I was a child, I used too dance around a Maypole in our town square.
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with many of the customs you discussed from watching Midsomer Murders. One show in particular had the wife of the DCI traveling to four or five different towns, each putting on demonstrations similar to what you shared in your post. What a great reminder. Thanks.
This is so much fun to know, Jan. I remember the maypole in elementary school here in Hawaii. And we even had it one year in Illinois when I was teaching there. Happy May Day!
ReplyDeleteIn some places in Germany we had a maypole, too and my Dad put up while flowers over my bed. Yippee to the good time of the year!
ReplyDeleteIngo bought (German) sausages...
It was interesting to read the history of May Day. We dont celebrate May Day, rather we celebrate Labour Day in October.
ReplyDeleteJan this is an amazing post so informative to those that are not familiar with May Day.. I remember so vividly at primary school how we celebrated it dancing round the maypole, making floral head dresses and one of my teachers was a Morris dancer. I think it has fell very much out of favour in school now so sad.. a celebration where communities came together, we could sure benefit with reinventing May Day!!
ReplyDeleteSausage Casserole is a favourite in our house.. Happy May Hugs Tracey xx
How interesting is your May Day. I don't recall us ever having a May Day celebration. I've learnt something more from you Jan.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment on my blog :) much appreciated.
Happy Bank Holiday weekend :-D
ReplyDeleteIt#s good to read about old farming traditions and rituals. Maypole dancing used to be taught at schools, I believe, though not in my experience. I hope the sun shines for you at some point this Bank Holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat festival looks cool, but I have never seen, been to of heard of a May Day festival here in the US. Hmmm. Maybe it was celebrated in the past though. I hope you have a lovely sunny and wonderful May Day weekend. And it's good to know we're halfway to summer. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in kindergarten, we danced around a May pole on May Day. Here in the US, May Day isn't Labor Day. Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September honors the workforce. May Day, May 1, is a day that celebrates the Unions which gave us 40 hr. week, weekends, paid sick time, holidays, vacations, and other benefits.
ReplyDeleteI loved learning the traditions of May Day on this post. I only did a maypole once (in an adult party, not as a kid) but it was fun. We used to make little flower bouquets for our moms or neighbors. I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!
ReplyDeleteJan, here, Labor Day is celebrated with a barbecue shared with coworkers.
ReplyDeleteWe don't do anything here for May Day, not that I've heard about.
ReplyDeleteNice reading about the traditions though.
We don't celebrate it here, so it is interesting to learn all about May Day there. The sausage looked good.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting post. I knew some of it but you filled in the gaps. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Labor Day in the US is in September and is usually thought of as the end of summer. In many places, the kids go back to school right after Labor Day. The festivals in the UK look like fun. May Day was never a thing in the places I lived growing up. It wasn't until we moved to Ireland that we had the bank holiday weekend. There is a holiday weekend at the end of May there--Memorial Day. Neither it nor Labor Day have any festivals associated with them though--it's just a long weekend. Enjoy your holiday weekend, Jan.
ReplyDeleteMay 1st is largely ignored around here, except for people asking 'when is the warm weather going to get here'? But I find that ancient history fascinating.
ReplyDeleteHello Jan,
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very happy month of May!
Happy Bank Holiday, Jan. The sausage casserole looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteA lovely description of May Day. And the casserole looks marvelous! A very happy month of May to you too Jan. All the best, Denise
ReplyDeletesounds fun...it has been a little chilly here. "eating lots of food", that's right up my ally!!
ReplyDeletein just the last couple of years they have had May day activities, but nothing very big.
ReplyDeleteI was in the UK a few years ago and went to a village festival. I was taking pictures, but I was sternly advised that it was illegal for me to take pictures showing the faces of children. Their happy, smiling faces were an integral part of the event. The world has become a strange place.
ReplyDeleteQue interesante, me ha encantado saber de esas tradiciones. En España se celebra el Día del Trabajo. Besos.
ReplyDelete