Click below!
Crop circle at Old Sarum
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
May Day
It's fascinating to me that May 1st became associated with so many holidays, both religious and secular. Usually when this occurs it's because newer religions were building off of older ones, but that isn't necessarily the only case here.
Some European Pagan traditions consider May 1st to be the first day of summer, where November 1st is the first day of winter. Although other Pagan traditions, which consider the solstices to be the first official days of winter/summer, also celebrate holidays on May 1st. Neo-Pagans generally refer to this holiday by it's Gaelic name, Beltane.
The Catholic tradition ascribes May 1st to the Virgin Mary. As with many holidays this was likely piggybacking off the Pagan holiday, but remember all Catholic saints have a day assigned to them; May 1st is a logical time to worship Mary. In many areas Mary's May Day is in fact celebrated with flowers and a procession and other festivities.
Then we have a bunch of labor-related holidays being observed on this day. I tried researching this a little and it starts getting really convoluted. Many countries seem to observe a labor holiday on May 1st but for a number of different reasons. So who decided May 1st would be a labor-related day, and why did everyone else follow suit? Plus there are some bank holidays and the like. And some individual European towns or cities (especially in the UK) have May Day traditions that are probably derivatives of Pagan customs, but no longer have any real meaning aside from the fact that they are now traditions.
All of which seems kinda funny to an American since, unless one is Neo-Pagan or super-duper-Catholic, May Day isn't really a particular Day at all.
So maybe May 1st isn't a day of celebration for you. But in case it is, Happy May Day.
Some European Pagan traditions consider May 1st to be the first day of summer, where November 1st is the first day of winter. Although other Pagan traditions, which consider the solstices to be the first official days of winter/summer, also celebrate holidays on May 1st. Neo-Pagans generally refer to this holiday by it's Gaelic name, Beltane.
The Catholic tradition ascribes May 1st to the Virgin Mary. As with many holidays this was likely piggybacking off the Pagan holiday, but remember all Catholic saints have a day assigned to them; May 1st is a logical time to worship Mary. In many areas Mary's May Day is in fact celebrated with flowers and a procession and other festivities.
Then we have a bunch of labor-related holidays being observed on this day. I tried researching this a little and it starts getting really convoluted. Many countries seem to observe a labor holiday on May 1st but for a number of different reasons. So who decided May 1st would be a labor-related day, and why did everyone else follow suit? Plus there are some bank holidays and the like. And some individual European towns or cities (especially in the UK) have May Day traditions that are probably derivatives of Pagan customs, but no longer have any real meaning aside from the fact that they are now traditions.
All of which seems kinda funny to an American since, unless one is Neo-Pagan or super-duper-Catholic, May Day isn't really a particular Day at all.
So maybe May 1st isn't a day of celebration for you. But in case it is, Happy May Day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
