May

May 1st might be the date with more holidays than any other.  It's the day many countries celebrate Labor Day, and became associated with communism in the 1950's.  Today is a big day for rallies and protest marches in Seattle, attracting all sorts of people who don't actually have to "labor" today.

But the holiday goes back much further than the labor movement. In Roman times, the festival of Flora was a celebration of spring and fertility. In medieval times, people gathered flowers and put up a May pole with garlands.  May Day was once a much bigger celebration in the United States. May Queens were crowned and schools put on spring programs.

 

This is a photograph from a 1947 Life Magazine, and I remember doing this on our school playground in the 1950's.  How sweet was that? And we always made May baskets to take home, something the girls probably enjoyed more than the boys.  Thirty years ago, our neighbor's girls would hang paper cones with flowers on our door and run away. Like so many things in life,  I didn't realize at the time how special that was. 

Can you believe, a third of the year is already over? The life and beauty of May make it month for thankfulness, and for me that would include the creation of this blog, and the opportunity it gives to share what I love with our loved ones.  Happy May!