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Life IS history in the making. Every word we say, everything we do becomes history the moment it is said or done. Life void of memories leaves nothing but emptiness. For those who might consider history boring, think again: It is who we are, what we do and why we are here. We are certainly individuals in our thoughts and deeds but we all germinated from seeds planted long, long ago.

Friday, May 3, 2013

The Merry Month of May

At the heart of Awakenings are historical accounts that embrace the past, empower the present and enrich the future. Even though the first day of May has already come and gone and with it the celebration of May Day, this day is shrouded in poignant history. Heartfelt thanks are extended to author Micki Peluso who has graciously accepted my invitation to share one of her articles on Awakenings.  

 

Take it away, Micki...


May Day is usually, but not always, celebrated on the first of May, although in recent years enthusiasm for the holiday has waned considerably. Many Staten Islanders in New York can recall festivities in the past several decades which included springtime sports, and Maypoles decorated with bright ribbons streaming from the top of the pole. Young children danced around the pole which was traditionally garbed in ribbons and reveled in the warmth of spring. Older girls crowned a May Queen, and young girls often made baskets which they filled with flowers and hung on the doors of their friends. Many parts of the country still participate in these activities although my borough of Staten Island does not seem to be among them.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The month of May has always been a favorite month, with spring in full bloom and summer close behind. On the original Roman calendar, May was the third month of the year but the revised calendar moved it to the fifth month. The origin of the name, researchers say, most likely comes from Maia, a mother of Mercury. In Roman times and throughout history, May has been considered an unlucky month for marriages, stemming back to the days when both the festival of the dead and the festival of the goddess of chastity were celebrated in May. This may explain the popularity of June weddings.
Source: Google Images
Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, has held May Day celebrations with field sports, dancing around the Maypole and crowning a May Queen with a headdress of fresh flowers. On some occasions college records in sports were broken on that day, possibly due to the enthusiasm for the holiday. The California State Normal School in San José originated May Day festivities in 1902, with games for their kindergarten students. By 1910, the popularity of this holiday had grown to such proportion that 6000 spectators gathered to watch the celebration.
 
Statue of Matthew Vassar surrounded by the splendor of a Hudson Valley spring
These observances have little to do with the ritualistic and symbolic fetes of olden days. Historians of folk customs have traced the May Day ritual back to the Floralia of the Romans, the festival of Flora, goddess of flowers. This festival was instituted in 238 BC and was celebrated from April 23 until May 3rd.
Triumph of Flora by Tiepolo (ca. 1743), a scene based on Ovid's description of the Floralia


During the four or five centuries that Rome occupied Britain, the May Day Festival was introduced and flourished. One theory states that the May Day was initially a phallic festival in India and Egypt, marking the renewal of the fertility of nature at springtime. Researchers claim that the Romans considered the Maypole to be a phallic symbol, and their merrymaking included quite a few licentious acts which were the focus of May Day celebrations in England for some time.
British Life & Culture by Mandy Barrow
The Morris Dance was a pagan dance which consisted of male dancers in fantastic costumes dancing about the Maypole. The name Morris, a word of Moorish origin, is associated with mummers, who acted out the ritual of the pagan god who celebrated his revival after death. Another custom was the May Day procession of a Man-horse, in Cornwall, where the central figure, "Oss Oss”, was a witch doctor disguised as a horse and wearing a mask. Dancers acted as attendants, sang May Day songs and beat on drums.
Morris dancing on May Day in Oxford, England, in 2004.
These activities greatly offended the Puritans, who coerced the Parliament of 1644 to ban the erection of Maypoles. The Restoration repealed the prohibition, and in 1661, to celebrate the revival of the old custom, a Maypole, 143 feet high was raised. Sir Isaac Newton purchased the pole in 1717 and used it as a support for his telescope in Essex.

Interesting Fact
The tallest maypole is said to have been erected in London on the Strand in 1661; it stood over 143 feet high. It was felled in 1717, when it was used by Isaac Newton to support Huygen's new reflecting telescope.
 
The New England Puritans also voiced objections to May Day festivities, which incited Gov. Endicott of Massachusettsin 1660, to lead a group of men to Merrymount (Merry Mount), where the dreaded Maypole had been erected. The men chopped the pole down and named the place Mount Dragon, after the Idol of the Philistines that fell before the Ark.

 
May Day was said to have magical rites, such as those of Halloween. Samuel Pepys, the English diarist, related how his wife went to the country each May Day to wash her face in dew, a magic ritual ensuring a good complexion. Poetess Ann May Lawler, put the custom to verse: 

Ever on the first of May did magic walk — the legends say. Maiden rose at early dawn to find a dew-ensequinned lawn, and she who humbly bathed her face in dewdrops, in the magic place, she, they say, may never fear the curse of freckles for one year."

When Labor Day was established in this country, the workers of Europe decided to hold a similar celebration, which they observed on May 1st. Due to lively labor politics, the date became better known for riots, bombings and burned cities. Radicals in the U.S. followed the European example and held demonstrations on May 1st. Later many U.S. cities, particularly New York City, demonstrated on May Day with parades of radical, labor, and other organizations, followed by mass meetings.

Socialists in Union Square, N.Y.C. on May 1st 1912
The beginning of May, whether celebrated with Maypoles and flower festivals, or labor demonstrations, or no celebrations at all, introduces a month with few surprises. While March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb," and April teases with balmy weather one day and pseudo-winter the next, the month of May brings a stable promise of ever better days to come.





5 comments:

  1. Dear Sharla, what a nice surprise awaited me when I got on my computer tonight. I had no idea you were going to do this superb job of making my little aricle shine!!Thanks you so much for posting and enhabcing the legend and lore of May Day on your outstanding blog.
    Much love, Micki

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    1. Your article is endowed with so much wonderful history that is a perfect fit for Awakenings. Also, another great way to promote your wonderful book! Hugs, my friend!

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  2. This was fascinating. Thanks.
    Our oldest son did some maypole dancing and Morris dancing in elementary school in England. It was great fun watching them.

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    1. Thank you for visiting, Sheila, but most of all for leaving comments about your son's experiences. Glad you enjoyed Micki's historical account of the month of May.

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  3. Thanks, Sheila, it was Sharla's great pictures that brought my wrtig to life. Glad you liked it.

    Micki

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