May 1
MAY DAY
Rally ’round the Maypole, as we gather this information for you to start this, the merry merry month of May!
May Day has been a traditional holiday celebration since ancient times. On this day, spring festivals and Maypoles are common. The Maypole is a tall pole that is covered with streamers, flowers and other decorations of spring. People grab hold of a streamer and dance around the pole to ward off ol’ man Winter for good. It is a way to shake the dreary winter blues once and for all.
Since the 1880s, May Day has been celebrated in some countries, particularly socialist nations, as a labor holiday.
In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day. It’s a day when friends, lovers, bosses, relatives ... just about anyone and everyone ... gives the gift of a lei to another, putting it around the receiver’s neck and accompanying it with the traditional kiss. This custom of sharing the aloha spirit with a beautiful floral lei on Lei Day began in 1928. There are many celebrations throughout the Hawaiian islands; some complete with pageants, a Lei Queen and her court, Hawaiian music and hula dances.
Lei Day, May Day or any day, giving a lei is a beautiful way to say, “Aloha.”
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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