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For Kids
This is an ancient holiday. But nobody knows who
invented it. It's that old.
Some people believe the ancient
Romans "invented" the May Pole. Like other ancient
civilizations, the ancient Romans worshipped many gods and goddesses.
To
honor the deities of new life and flowers, legend suggests they cut down a
tree, decorated it with ribbons, then danced around it. This was the
beginning of the May Pole. It could be true. It would certainly be in
character!
For all the ancient cultures, the
coming of summer was cause for celebration. It meant food could be
gathered and planted.
As part of their celebration, some ancient people
gathered flowers and put them on window ledges to keep out pesky fairies.
Others filled baskets with gifts and greenery to give to friends and loved
ones.
The ancient Celts built bonfires, with nine different types of wood,
then leaped over the flames for luck. In the Bavarian regions of Germany,
people played tricks on each other!
Yet, for all its appearance of
merriment, for most ancient cultures, May Day was a very serious
celebration. Many rituals were designed, not to thank, but to please and
to appease the gods. It would not be until the autumn festivals, when the
crops were safely harvested, that these ancient people would heave a sigh
of relief.
Today, May Day is celebrated as
a workers holiday, a day off from work with pay, in just about every
country in the world except for the United States. The United States does
not recognize May Day as a federal holiday. In the U.S., workers are honored on Labor
Day, which falls on the first Monday in September, each year.
May Day is also called Beltane
Beltane
Learn
about the ancient Celts
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