Mayday: Maypole Dancing and More

Dancing maidens around a Maypole, baskets of flowers left on a doorstep, Morris Dancers, and Queen of the May are all fun MayDay traditions. Mayday or the first day of May is more than just the first of the month or a labor holiday but an ancient celebration of spring.

Mayday is an English holiday and most of the customs we associate with Mayday come from English traditions. The observance of Mayday, however, is much older and comes down from two influences, Celtic and Roman.

In the ancient Celtic calendar, Beltaine was one of four fire feasts that marked the passing of the year. Beltaine was the feast that welcomed the sun back from its’ long journey and brought summer. On Beltaine, fires were lit. Cattle were driven between two fires to drive away evil spirits and to seek good luck. Dancers sometimes danced around the fires and even leapt over the flames, which brought good luck for the coming year if the leap was a successful one. Marriages or handfastings were common at Beltaine and the fairy folk were said to be active. Beltaine celebrated fertility as well.

Romans celebrated Floralia or the feast of the Roman goddess of fruit and flowers, Flora, on May 1. Like Beltaine, the celebration marked the beginning of summer. Celebrations that featured dancing, flower chains, fruit displays, and feasting were common throughout the Roman Empire.

Since the Romans once ruled Britain and the Celts called the same island home, speculation that both cultures added to the observance of Mayday, an English tradition dating back to ancient times. Mayday was also popular in other European countries including Germany and Switzerland but the English style celebration is by far the most elaborate.