May Days Everywhere

1 May is a holiday in many parts of the world. But May Day means different things to
different people. For some it is a time to celebrate spring. For others it is the day to
remember the workers of the world.

The May holiday is very old. Thousands of years ago, people in India and Egypt
celebrated the start of spring. In Europe, Celtic people celebrated the end of winter
and the return of the sun. They built wooden wheels and burnt them. The Romans had
a holiday for Flora, the goddess of flowers and plants. The festival lasted from 28
April to 3 May.

Some countries have chosen 1 May as a special day. In Hawaii it is Lei Day. The
people of the islands often greet visitors with strings of flowers, or ‘Leis’. On Lei Day
the Hawaiians wear the Leis themselves. Since 1928, Lei Day has been an important
holiday in the country. Schools have shows and games. There are parades and
markets. All sorts of leis can be bought at these markets. Lei Day is like May Day in
other ways too – a Lei Day queen is chosen. Sometimes this is a young girl and
sometimes it is an old woman. There are dances in special dresses and everybody
celebrates.

May Day was popular in Europe for hundreds of years. The traditions were different
from place to place. But the main idea was always the same – people celebrated the
spring.

· In Sweden, people made ‘Old Man Winter’ out of wood. They threw him on a fire to
show the end of winter and the start of spring.

· In English villages young people danced around the ‘maypole’ – a tall pole in the
centre of the town. A May Queen was chosen from the young women.

At one time, people believed that these May Day celebrations helped them to grow
good crops for the next year. People don’t believe this today, but many of the
traditions continue.

In the modern world, May Day is also the day to remember workers around the world.
This day was chosen at an international meeting of Socialists in Paris in 1889. They
wanted to remember four men who died for workers’ rights in the US in 1886. Later,
May Day became an important holiday in Communist countries. This is still true in
China. In other countries, people fight on this day for workers’ rights around the
world.

So, some people put flowers around their necks on May Day and dance. Others fly a
red flag to remember workers who died in the fight for a fair world. How do you
celebrate May Day?
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Published 27/4/05

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