May Pole dance, Central Park, New York City – SOURCE: Library of Congress

Today is the first day of May and “May Day” is celebrated across the world in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons.

“May 1st, often called May Day, just might have more holidays than any other day of the year. It’s a celebration of Spring. It’s a day of political protests. It’s a neopagan festival, a saint’s feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.

“Beltane

“Beltane was a Celtic calendar feast ushering in the start of summer. (It also went by a variety of other spellings and names in assorted dialects of Gaelic.)

“Bonfires, often created by rubbing sticks together, were common features of Beltane celebrations. Related rituals included driving cattle between two fires, dancing around the fires, and burning witches in effigy. Another tradition was Beltane cakes, which would be broken into several pieces, one of which was blackened. They would be drawn by celebrants at random; the person getting the unlucky blackened piece would face a mock execution.

“In recent years, Beltaine has been adopted or revived by neopagan groups as a major seasonal festival.

“Walpurgisnacht

“St. Walburga (or Walpurgis), the abbess of the monastery of Heidenheim, helped St. Boniface bring Christianity to 8th Century Germany. She died on Feb. 25, 779. As her remains have been moved on multiple occasions, several days have been designated in her honor, one of which is the first of May.

“This date coincided with a pre-existing pagan festival, which, in Germany, included rites to protect one against witchcraft. This led to a hybrid legend developing, in which witches were said to meet with the Devil on the eve of May 1, on the Brocken peak. The night of April 30th became known as “Walpurgisnacht,” and the annual meeting was dramatized by Goethe in Faust.

“Fertility Festivals

“Some cultures, such as those found in India and Egypt, had spring fertility festivals. The Roman festival celebrating Flora, goddess of fertility, flowers, and spring, was celebrated from April 28 through May 3.” To continue reading this article from Inflplease.com, click here.

May Day: do one thing for emergency preparedness

“Each year, archives, libraries, museums, and arts and historic preservation organizations set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters. This year, make sure your institution is prepared!”

A holiday in more than 80 countries

The first Labor Day in Japan – SOURCE: Wikipedia

“International Workers’ Day (also known as May Day) is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries. It is also celebrated unofficially in many other countries.”