May Day
May 1
May Day is an ancient festival celebrating the beginning of Summer. It’s usually celebrated on May 1st, which is an approximate midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve.
Traditions often include:
- gathering wildflowers and green branches,
- weaving floral garlands,
- crowning a May Queen (sometimes with a male consort)
- and setting up a Maypole or a May Tree or May Bush, around which people dance.
- Bonfires are also part of the festival in some regions.
In some parts of the United States, individuals create small May baskets, filled with flowers or treats and left at someone’s doorstep. To remain anonymous, the giver rings the bell and runs away.
In the USA, modern May Day ceremonies may unite both of its“Green Root” (pagan–season & nature) and “Red Root” (labor–worker) traditions.