May Day Customs and Traditions in England
May Day is celebrated on 1st May in England to mark the beginning of summer, with village fetes and festivities all over the country. The day celebrates both the coming of summer and the fertility of springtime, incorporating ancient fertility rites that have their roots in Celtic traditions which almost certainly date back to pre-Christian times. In Celtic tradition the beginning of May is also known asBeltane.
Perhaps the best known May Day tradition is dancing around the maypole, where a group of dancers each hold a long ribbon that is secured at the top of a tall pole and dance around, in and out, weaving all the ribbons into a pattern around the maypole. Morris dancing, the traditional folk dancing of England, is also performed on May Day. A May queen is traditionally crowned with a a wreath of flowers during May Day celebrations, while other traditions include the practice of young women washing their faces in the early morning dew, to keep themselves young and beautiful.
Some well-known May Day celebrations include the “Obby Oss” parade atPadstowin Cornwall, in which two people dressed as hobby horses parade through the town with a group of followers trying to catch young maidens. The town is decorated with flowers and wreaths and the event attracts tourists from all over the world who come to watch the spectacle. This custom is also upheld in one or two other English towns, such as Minehead in Somerset, but Padstow is the most famous.
AtCerne Abbasin Dorset there is an ancient giant figure carved into the chalk on the hillside, his purpose is evidently to do with fertility, and there is a longstanding tradition of May Day celebrations in the village, starting the day with morris dancing on the hillside around the giant carving, maypole dancing and festivities all day long. The giant is also thought to be useful in assisting couples who are trying to conceive - but the details are left to your imagination!
All over the country there are May fairs and fetes that include maypole dancing, morris dancing, music and merriment. In recent times however, because there is a public holiday on the first Monday of May, known as the May Bank Holiday, many of the festivities are now held on that day instead of the first of May.
In recent years May Day has also become a day associated with public protests against globalisation.
