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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>History and traditions of May Day<\/h2>\n
In Britain, Celtic people celebrated the festival of Beltane on the first of May to mark the halfway point between spring and summer. In contrast, the festival of Samhain (now celebrated as Halloween on 31 October) fell hallway between autumn and winter, on 1 November.<\/p>\n
Beltane is one of the few pagan festivals that survived the take-over of Christianity in Britain. Many of our old customs that celebrate new life and fertility are still out there today, including Morris dancing, Jack-in-the-Green and dancing around the maypole.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Sixteenth century people dancing around a traditional Maypole in an English village. Credit: Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The earliest maypoles were probably young trees chopped down and erected on the village green with ribbons pinned to the top for local children to dance around. Today rehearsals often take place weeks in advance to ensure that the ribbons form artful plaits around the maypole instead of a tangled web of knots.<\/p>\n
Morris Dancing traditions<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Morris Men seeing in the 1st May\/Credit: Getty\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Despite often being the butt of jokes, Morris dancers are in high demand on May Day, performing at pubs and on village greens up and down the country. Many Morris dancers dance in the dawn, including the Wessex Morris Men who climb above the Cerne Abbas Giant at 5.15am and the Men of Wight who circle the megalithic Longstone at Mottistone as the sun comes up. Morris dancing dates back at least 600 years although it is unclear where the dance style came from, or what it represents. The majority of groups that exist today were formed after the 1930s, basing their dancing style on information collected by folklorists, although some\u00a0 groups, including those at Abingdon and Chipping Campden, can trace their routes back to the 1800s.<\/p>\n
Dressing up in strange costumes appears to be a running theme when it comes to celebrating May Day, and nothing beats the attire of Jack in the Green, who wears a foliage-covered frame work in May Day parades. It is widely believed that the Jack represents the Green Man, a symbol of fertility, but Jacks have also adopted sometimes adopted the cheeky character of Puck.<\/p>\n
Although many May Day celebrations date back centuries, they vary from place to place. We\u2019ve rounded up five examples of classic May Day celebrations that take places this weekend.<\/p>\n
Best traditional May Day events 2022<\/h2>\n
The May Day celebrations have altered from their ancient folk roots, differentiating in each of the communities, which still embrace the traditions. Local events such as Maypole dances and country fairs are commonplace for May Day Bank Holiday and make for\u00a0a great family day out.<\/p>\n
The Clun Green Man Festival, Shropshire<\/h3>\n
2nd May<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The spirit of nature, The Green Man\/Credit: Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Crowds will gather on Clun Bridge in Shropshire to witness the Green Man defeat the Frost Queen to ensure there is a summer in the valley. The leafy face of the Green Man represents nature, fertility, and the cycle of death and rebirth. After his victory the Green Man will lead a garland-festooned parade to the grounds of Clun Castle. Expect music, crafts, magic shows, maypoles and, of course, Morris.<\/p>\n
clungreenman.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
Beltane Fire Festival, Edinburgh<\/h3>\n
30 April \u2013 1 May<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Ceremony by fire light at Beltane Fire Festival\/Credit: Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n As well as daytime Jack-in-the-Green celebrations, there\u2019s a wilder side to 1st May. The Scottish Beltane Fire Festival is a revitalised celebration of Celtic culture: the fire believed to cleanse, purify and increase fertility of all the festival participants. Get ready for some seriously exciting drumming, fire displays, acrobatics, body paint, some nudity and hordes of otherworldly creatures including Beastie Drummers and Red Men exhibiting \u2018uninhibited behaviour\u2019.<\/p>\n
On the evening of 30 April, join several thousand people at congregate at Calton Hill in the centre of Edinburgh. Beltane Fire Festival will involve around three hundred voluntary performers, marking the end of the Scottish winter and welcoming the summer season ahead with optimism.<\/p>\n
edinburghguide.com\/events\/beltane-fire-festival<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
- British lambing guide: when is the lambing season and best places to see lambs<\/a><\/li>\n
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