Why Celebrate May Day? British Holiday Gaining Popularity in the United States

May Day celebrations date back centuries, even before the birth of Christ. It originated in the British Isles as the second most important holiday to the nation. What exactly is the original significance of the day? What kind of festivities did they have? If you are pondering these thoughts, read on for some answers!

The British Isles celebrated May Day on May 1^st, as a festival of Beltane. It was originally set up as a half way point in the British Year. The other half day of the year was celebrated on November 1^st, and was known as Samhain Day. The original custom celebrated on May Day was a setting of a new fire. This new fire was supposed to lead life to the burgeoning spring sun. It was celebrated as a time of fertility and of new growth. People drove their cattle through this fire, thinking it would refine them, and men also walked through the fire with their wives in hopes to increase fertility. A common distinction among this fire is that the fire was to bring good luck in this half of the year.

Later on, the Roman Empire took over the British Isles. The Romans also celebrated May Day, but for a different reason. They had a feast that was devoted to Flora, the goddess of flowers. The festival was called Floralia and was held from April 28 through May 2. They celebrated with games and theatrical performances. Women wore wreaths of flowers over their head as a sign of fertility. As the years went by, the Roman traditions of the Floralia Festival meshed with the British traditions of the Beltane Festival, and new traditions were created and mixed in with the old.

As the Puritans gained control in the region, the festivals began to wane. The Puritans discouraged the people from celebrating these festivals, so the traditions were lost. Once the Puritans lost their power to England the leaders tried to bring the festivals back, but their excitement was not as grand as it had been before. The day became known as a spring day to celebrate, not so much a ritual of fertility.

A maypole is one of the traditions that were started in the middle Ages. A pole was found in the center of every city on May Day. The townspeople would run around the pole with ribbons. The Puritans put this practice aside, but many cities still celebrated, just changed the name of the pole and festivity. A May basket is also one other tradition originating in the British Isles. People would exchange May baskets and hang them on the doorknobs of family and friends to celebrate this holiday.

While this holiday has deep roots in England and across many other nations in Europe, it is not widely celebrated in America. Many European countries celebrate with a parade, may pole decorating, delicious food, flowers, baskets and lots of candy! The day brings much excitement for the people in each town as they take pride in the size of their May pole and the beauty of decorating it. Why not start a May Day tradition in you own home, and spread the cheer across your community by the giving of May Baskets. You'll have lots of fun by doing so!