Monday, May 4, 2009

What ever happened to the May Day basket?

This may date me; so be it.

I remember as a kid, we would make colorful construction paper baskets and fill them with paper flowers. They were May Day baskets. We all made them and had to get them done in time.

Does anybody else remember this?

The point was to go to someone's house, ring the bell and leave the basket at their door. I seem to remember it being suggested to leave it for an elderly person who may be lonesome.

Where the heck did that go? This memory is pervasive.

I am just finishing up a full stint of elementary years with my oldest kid and nary a May Day basket has emerged.

What is May Day? Wiki says:

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half of a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and neopagan festivals such as Samhain. May Day marks the end of the uncomfortable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations, regardless of the locally prevalent political or religious establishment.

As Europe became Christianized the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, and All Saint's Day. In the twentieth century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.

Right. A pagen holiday. Is that why the schools don't make a big deal about it anymore? Public school are hyper-conscious these days about offending anyone and holidays are paramount. Or is it just our school?

Any ideas? I miss those little May Day baskets.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails