May Celebrations

A photograph taken by the Avalon Faery of a nettle plant in flower - representing the budding of Spring and the start of May celebrations.

The Month of May

May celebrations have been a tradition down throughout the ages and, although in more modern times festivities have been reduced to one day, or perhaps a weekend, the fun, feasting, and entertainment would often last throughout the month.

In the northern hemisphere May is the culmination of Spring, when everything is in full swing, and the world world is returning to the light part of the year. Festivals and celebrations of varying types are held to celebrate fertility, good weather, and health.

In this article we will look at the history of such May celebrations and how they continue in the modern day. Let us begin with a look at the May Celebrations timeline from ancient times…

May Celebrations in Ancient Rome

Some of the first recorded May celebrations were held in Ancient Rome.

(Interestingly, as a small side note, in my research for this article I discovered that the ancient roman word for a holiday such as these May celebrations was Feriae – interestingly close to the word Faerie….)

The Floralia

The first of these was The Floralia (the “Festival of Flora”) and it took place between the 28th April and 3rd May. This honoured the Goddess Flora, the Goddess of flowers, fertility, and Spring.

The festival began in around 238 – 240 B.C. when the temple to Flora was first dedicated. The ancient romans were asking Flora to bless newly budding flower blossoms that were numerous at this time of the year.

The Floralia fell “out of favour” shortly after its foundation yet was revived by the roman Senate in 173 B.C. re-envisioned under the name Ludi Florales.

Typical festivities during The Floralia were feasting, theatrical performances, games were athletes competed against one another, and releasing of wild hare and deer.

Nostalgic reminiscence would have us believe that this is romantic, however, it was more likely to be chaotic and wild, with significant injury from the wild animals released into the crowds. Likewise the name Flora became interchangeable with the word prostitute and many of the female actresses were naked in their performances.

The Floralia was not the only May celebration that comes from ancient rome…

Maiouma

Once every three years the romans held the month-long May celebration known as Maiouma.

This festival honoured the Goddess Aphrodite (Greek Goddess of love, beauty, and desire) and the God Dionysos (Greek God of wine, merriment, and theatre – the “bad-boy of Mt. Olympus”).

Traditionally Maiouma celebrations were held nocturnally and involved many of the same activities as The Floralia – feasting, theatrical performances, and the like – as well as “orgies of licentiousness”.

Money was set aside by the government for the purchasing of torches, lights, and various other festival expenses required for the all-night extravagances.

Due to the raunchy, lascivious, and costly, nature of these May celebrations, they were “cancelled” in 337 A.D. by Emperor Constantine (the first Christian Roman Emperor).

Smaller revivals of various versions of these types of May celebrations occurred throughout the centuries until we come to the next best records we have…

Medieval May Celebrations

By the Medieval period May celebrations mostly happen in rural settings and are known by the Gaelic world as Beltane or Beltaine (from the Irish). Further it is now mainly only one day of festivities to mark the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice.

First Record

The first mention of Beltane is attributed to Cormac (bishop of Cashel and king of Munster). He gives the name to mean Bel – the name of a God (sometimes Bil) – and the Old Irish word for fire – “tene“.

Cormac describes how cattle were driven between two large bonfires on the eve of Beltane. This would lend magical protection against any disease or misfortune as the cows went out to the summer pasture grounds.

Celebrations

Bonfires were a staple of various celebrations in this time period and these May celebrations were no different, indeed Beltane is seen as a fire festival.

People would gather and socialise around the fires that symbolised a return to the lighter days of Summer ahead, as well as protecting livestock from harm. Homes would be decorated with newly budded blossoms and seasonal treats would be baked and shared.

Like the ancient roman celebrations, however, Beltane fell out of favour and few of the larger festivals lasted to the 20th century. Although in Wales they have never really left the tradition and Ireland transferred their Beltane to Mary’s Day, when Catholicism moved in, and continued to celebrate.

Once again there are smaller types of celebrations held here and there until we settle on the more recent version of May celebrations…

Post-Medieval May Celebrations

Following the Medieval period the first day of May was still seen as something worth celebrating. Beltane is now known as May Day.

Reduced to just one day of recognition May Day is celebrated on the 1st May. Yet, just as the ancient roman and Beltane celebrations, even this one day has seen its share of suffering to stay alive!

16th Century

During the sixteenth century May Day was “banned” due to the church and state considering it “too pagan”.

Riots broke out across Britain. Henry VIII was forced to pardon over four hundred people meant for the gallows, although an unlucky fourteen were not so lucky.

Needless to say the people continued to celebrate May Day!

17th Century

During the seventeenth century May Day became virtually extinct as Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan regime made a concentrated effort to squash it altogether.

Cromwell’s government passed legislation, actually made it a law, that May Day could not happen, and over 300 May Poles were removed across the realm.

In 1660, however, upon the reinstatement of Charles II, May Day was also reinstated when Charles II used the popularity of May Day to help ensure support from his subjects.

May Day lived to fight another day!

So… we have followed some of the recorded history of May celebrations through to our present day… Let us now look at what May celebrations look like currently and how we can share in the festivities!

What do we do now?

There are many ways in which various areas celebrate what we still know to be May Day, including;

May Morning in Oxford – an event where a Latin hymn is sung from the top of the Magdalen College building;
The Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss – an event when the old ‘obby ‘oss is led from its stable to roam the coastal town of Padstow;
The Charlton-on-Otmoor Garland – an event whereby a large, cross-shaped image, perched atop the Church’s rood screen is decorated, during a special service, with a long garland of flowers and evergreens, by the local school children and church wardens.

Yet there are several May celebrations that take place on May Day that are universal to many different places.

The May Queen

This event is one which usually takes place as part of a larger festival, such as a fair, and the ceremony itself can differ between locations.

A depiction of a May Queen being escorted by her attendants during a May celebration.

The main elements remain solid, however, and these are as follows:

A young person, usually a girl, but in more modern times there is no reason it should not be a boy, is chosen by an election, or appointed by a committee, to be May Queen for that year. The May Queen often has some “local celebrity” privileges during the year – getting to go to special functions etc.

Our chosen May Queen is dressed up in faery-tale fashion. A regal looking outfit, usually white to represent the newness of Spring life, bedecked with flowers, budding greenery, and ribbons of various colours/materials, and finished with a floral crown.

Several attendants will accompany the May Queen. These are usually other young people, similar or younger in age than the May Queen, all dressed up in similar, yet less grand, fashion.

The May Queen would then be paraded around in a throne on a fair float, or enthroned in a suitably high-profile spot somewhere within the fair grounds.

Although the May Queen is definitely seen as a tradition at this point, it is a very romanticised idea, likely dating only from the Victorian era when many such “traditions” were created. Still it is a lovely way for younger people to enter into the spirit of Spring!

The May Pole

The May Pole is likely the most familiar thought for many when it comes to May Day and May celebrations. The May Pole is a staple of the more modern day May celebrations and, as with many other now traditional festivities, has become romanticised over the generations.

Images of school aged children holding ribbons tied to a central pole and weaving in and out as they dance circles around the pole is indeed very sweet… but is also far from the old ways of the May Pole.

Originally the May Pole would be a wooden pole, usually located on the village green or some other prominent clear space, of anywhere up to 100 feet tall (or at least that was the tallest I could find record of). Decorated with garlands of flowers and evergreens, brightly painted, and draped with ribbons of various colours. These ribbons, however, would not be for holding as the dancers danced but purely for decoration.

A traditional painting entitled "Dancing round the Maypole" - circa 1890 - showing people frolicking around a May Pole in a May celebration.

Revellers would dance, sing, play music, eat, and drink around the May Pole while bonfires burned nearby. Bonfires which would allow the festivities to last well into the night…

Even the selection of a new May Pole, when the old one blew down or rotted to uselessness, was cause for a great party. A boisterous procession would lead head out into the woods and after… some time… return with the new May Pole drawn by flower strewn beasts of burden to its spot accompanied by song, dance, and laughter.

As with the May celebrations of old, the May Pole, and its dancing, were seen as lascivious, bawdy, and even possibly the work of Satan himself. This led to much strife with church and state, as described above.

Indeed in 1517 there occurred an “Evil May Day”, with rioting, that caused a permanent May Pole in London to be taken down for some time before being chopped up in 1549 by an over-zealous Protestant priest. Later in 1660, it was a May Pole that Charles II raised as the symbol that he would support May Day if only his subjects would support him and May Poles were raised all over the realm in defiance of the Puritan regime.

Such May celebrations have, in more recent times, become “politicised” further through use of a “May Day Bank Holiday”, amongst other things. I prefer to steer away from politics though. If we are to create a happier, better world, then politics, in its current form, has no place.

Beltane in a Different Guise

Finally we shall look at some of the renewed Beltane practices that have been revived, and re-imagined in the “new age” movement.

Beltane has become less about driving cattle through bonfires for health benefits and more about the individual practices one can take part in at home to honour the rhythm of Mother Nature.

People do still share this time with others in Beltane “druid” ceremonies. Gathered around bonfires, dancing, feasting, and worshipping the God/Goddess union. These larger kinds of May celebrations are no longer so easy to hold as they once were. Due to financial and legislative reasons (health and safety, insurance, etc.) they are now often the realm only of those with a view to commercialising, or secularising, the festival.

Individuals though, who believe in old magic, will carry out Beltane May celebrations alone or in much smaller groups, including;

rituals to honour the rhythm of the changing seasons;
lighting candles to represent the fires of old;
dancing;
feasting;
baking seasonal treats;
decorating doors and windows with flowers;
creating personal mini-May Poles like children in the olden days;
even things like litter-picking “parties”.

All simple ways people are starting to draw magic back into their lives and the world.

Beltane, though using the Old Irish word, has become something altogether new in and of itself. A blend of some of the best parts of all the May celebrations that have come before!

An image by artist Bonny Hut depicting the best elements of the new Beltane May celebrations.

Well, I hope that now we have walked the journey of the history, traditions, and examples, of May celebrations, you feel inspired to take part in a few of them. Head to Padstow to see the ‘Obby ‘Oss perhaps or just bake a cake while dancing around the kitchen to your favourite tune… Whatever you choose to do (or not do) this May, remember… do it with joy, gratitude, and love!

Bringing magic back to life happens one small breath at a time… 😉

Let us know in the comments how you take part in May celebrations! Have you heard or been involved with any not mentioned here? Let’s start a conversation, share ideas, and build our community!

Perhaps we can bring back a full month of lascivious revelry…

And don’t forget you can always celebrate with a Faery Reading to connect you with your Faery guides – they are always happy to give you a piece of advice for the year ahead! 😉 Use our Request a Reading page or drop us a message. I look forward to connecting with you.

Wishing you all a wonderful May! 💜

Sources

Books

The English Year: A month-by-month guide to the nation’s customs and festivals, from May Day to Mischief Night, Steve Roud, (2008), Penguin Books: London, England