May Day
May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia. Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season to share new bounty and to bless life in its new and tender forms. To this day, in many countries, a May Queen is crowned with a garland of flowers; a Maypole is danced around with the flowing circle of ribbons creating a focus of hope. This, of course, included food and offerings to neighbors and friends in the form of bread, flowers, wreaths and treats. It’s a lovely picture; dancing around the Maypole, colorful and lively, sharing bounty with one another.
Celebrating the renewal of life within the earth and above it, between friends and inside our hearts can still be done today. Even with social distancing as a societal norm, the small things that can be done to invest in one’s faith and resiliency, like the cycles of nature, are abundant and necessary. I cannot think of a more profound time to tell someone, via basket delivery, virtual Zoom fest, or flowers carefully curated from your garden (with glove and mask), that you are thinking about them.
This holds true for Mother’s Day as well.
Whereas, May Day is ancient, Mother’s Day is purely and beautifully an American tradition. These celebrations give us time to reflect on our abundancies and derive security from our connections. We connect to the earth, family and friends in any celebratory way we can. Visit your garden. Bake or buy some bread. Pick up some treats to sprinkle in a basket. Pick up a ribbon or two. Celebrate Mother’s Day in every permutation you wish.
This is not the year to avoid connecting with others, it’s the year to reinvent it.
