May Day...May Day...May Day

 

May Day. May Day. May Day.

No, there is no emergency. Sorry, if I alarmed you. We just celebrated May Day on Sunday and I thought I'd share it with you. May Day, aka Beltane, is a celebration of fertility. It is Mother Earth's consummate union with The Green Man, signifying the beginning of the summer season and the abundance and fecundity of the earth after a long, harsh winter.

So how did we celebrate? We joined Lin's wicca/earth-centered group once again at the UU church in Milton. Lin loaned me a long, gauzy, billowy skirt to wear a la my hippy wardrobe of the 60's. She was the mistress of ceremonies this time and led the group. She spoke of the festivals celebrated for centuries past with bonfires, flower wreaths and dancing around the Maypole, a phallic symbol, for sure. We drank mead, broke bread, jumped over our mini-Beltane fire and then … yup, we danced around the Maypole … on the church lawn.

Long, colorful ribbons had been attached to the top of the pole before it was erected and each member (20 or more of us) grabbed a strand of ribbon and began weaving it around the pole. One person strung the ribbon over, the next person under … everyone lost track and before long, it didn't matter. Laughing and good fun ensued till the ribbons were short and the weaving was complete. A potluck feast and a bit of wine topped off the late afternoon celebration. I'm ready for summer. Bring it on!