May Day Traditions are a Sweet Start to Spring
Monday is May Day, and it brings back memories of creating little baskets of treats to deliver to friends. This is something that I did as a child, but, have not seen this done too much since I have had children. I remember using little cups, putting candy and popcorn in them, and placing them on doorsteps of friends. We would then ring the doorbell or knock, and take off running. In first grade, a very long time ago, my grandfather took me to a nice little boy's house so I could drop off a May Day basket. Not more than 15 minutes later, this little boy came to my house to deliver one as well. I was very shy then, so I don't think I thanked him properly, if at all. So, Brent, if you are reading this, thank you.
I find it a little sad that the neighborhoods I have lived in since having children don't partake in this custom, and now that my girls are so much older, we just don't do this anymore. I enjoyed making the baskets and delivering them.
Now, this got me to thinking about the history of May Day, and of course Google is my friend. I looked it up, and I was not entirely surprised to find out it started out as a pagan holiday where the druids celebrated Beltane, the dividing of the year in half. May Day was considered the second most important holiday to them, with the first being Samhain, taking place on November 1. You can read more about the history of May Day at holidayspot.com. I was surprised by a lot of the facts here.
Pagan traditions or not, I look at May Day with nostalgia, it was a fun way to share treats with neighbors and friends. Enjoy your May Day, it is a nice way to remember that spring is here and summer is coming.