Happy May Day!

    “May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several public holidays. As a day of celebration the holiday has ancient origins and relates to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that (in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is almost exclusively celebrated), it falls approximately halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. May Day has its origins in pagan pre-Christian festivals related to agriculture and fertility, and its celebration involved joy and light-hearted fun in the outdoors as the warmer weather of spring and summer began.

    Today, May Day is celebrated in several European nations and the United States, in cultural expressions ranging from Maypole dancing to foot races, May Baskets, singing, and festivals. Alternatively, in many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labor Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. Thus, May Day has acquired a second meaning, quite different from the original one which stemmed from spiritual roots and connections to nature; the later one coming from secular efforts to improve human society through struggle and conflict.” –New World Encyclopedia

    Ah, it is finally May. As an upper Midwesterner, traditionally the month of May meant electric thunderstorms, the emergence of fragrant lilacs, the verdant green budding of trees and bushes, and the crowning of the Virgin Mary. Temperatures give way from chilly to warm, the birds migrate back to nest with their brood, and the school year will soon yield to summer vacation. In the perpetual vernal-like climate of southern California, spring heralds the blooming of the purple jacaranda trees, the explosion of spring flowers, and the aromatic scent of jasmine. The lengthening of the light improves moods, acting as a harbinger for the joys of springtime love.

    Here are some other ways May Day is celebrated around the world from the New World Encyclopedia:

-England: Morris dancing on May Day in Oxford, England 2004. The May Queen of New Westminer's annual May Day c. 1887. Villagers and Morris-men dancing beside the Maypole on Ickwell Green, Bedfordshire at dawn on May 1, 2005May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. It is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, and celebrations involving a Maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons. Much of this tradition derives from the pagan Anglo-Saxon customs held during Þrimilci-mōnaþ (the Old English name for the month of May meaning Month of Three Milkings).

-Cornwall:  An original Mayhorn from the 1930sThe West Cornwall May Day celebrations are an example of folk practices associated with the coming of spring. Prior to the twentieth century it was common for young residents of the towns of Penzance and St Ives and other nearby settlements to conduct their own festivities. For these festivals it was usual to make "May Horns" usually fashioned from tin cans and "May Whistles" made from small branches of the sycamore tree.

-Scotland:  Students gather on Castle Sands, St Andrews for the May dip in 2007Saint Andrews has a tradition whereby some of the students gather on the beach late on April 30 and run into the North Sea at sunrise on May 1, occasionally naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much elated celebration.

-France:  On May 1, 1561, French King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it became custom on the First of May to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime. The government permits individuals and workers' organizations to sell them free of taxation. It is also traditional for the lady receiving the spray of lily of the valley to give a kiss in return.

-Germany;  In rural regions of Germany, especially the Harz Mountains, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of Pagan origin are traditionally held on the night before May Day, including bonfires and the wrapping of maypoles. Young people use this opportunity to party with the motto Tanz in den Mai! ("Dance into May!"), while the day itself is used by many families to enjoy some fresh air and outdoor activities.

-International Workers' Day:  May Day can also refer to various labor celebrations conducted on May 1 that commemorate the fight for the eight-hour day. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labor Day. The idea for a "workers holiday" began in Australia in 1856. With the idea having spread around the world, the choice of the May first date became a commemoration by the Second International for the people involved in the Haymarket affair of 1886.

    Happy May Day!