Make Your Own Mini Maypole!
May Day Celebrations
May Day is a pagan holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring. The festivities include music, dancing, and the maypole, a large pole that children run around to make colorful designs out of ribbons. This is May Day’s main event. This lesson will teach you to make your very own mini May Day poles. The pole represents masculine energy, while the ribbons adorning it represent feminine energy.
Other May Day traditions included the exchange of May Day baskets. Filled with candy or flowers, these baskets would be delivered anonymously to the doors of neighbors.
Modern May Day
In more recent times, May Day has been used to commemorate the labor movement within communist and socialist countries. It is also recognized under the name Labor Day within different regions. This form of celebration commemorates the gains made over time by the labor movement. It was an old communist tradition to hold a May Day parade showcasing the troops and countries weapons to declare their the military power.
Celtic Celebrations
Mainly celebrated in Northern European countries, this fertility holiday is meant to create bountiful harvests. In Scotland and Ireland, the festival known as Beltane celebrated the start of Spring. It was one of the major Celtic holidays and took place between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. The Celtic people were very in tune with nature and placed special emphasis on the changing of the seasons.
The word Beltane means Day of Fire, so during this event, bonfires would be lit. They believed lighting bonfires granted good luck to people and livestock. A variation on Beltane is Walpurgis Night, celebrated by the Germans. Walpurgis Night, the night before May Day, includes bonfires similar to Beltane celebrations.
Making Your Own Maypole
Supplies:
- Brightly Colored Ribbons
- A stick or Paper Towel Holder
Directions:
Cut 5 to 6 pieces of ribbon of equal length
Tie the ribbons to the top of the paper towel roll or stick
Separate the ribbons into two groups and wrap them around the pole. Alternate which group of ribbons are on top of the others, to create your own May Day design.
Tie the ribbons at the bottom of your stick.
