Celebrate May Day Around The Maypole

1st May is May Day, with many traditional May Day celebrations taking place around the world.  

The first day of May is observed in Canada, United States and in some parts of Western Europe as a celebration of the coming of spring.  

In the UK, May Day is observed on the first Monday of May (also known as Bank Holiday Monday). It is a public holiday, when the coming of Spring is celebrated, hopefully in the sunshine (or just do nothing!) as this is when people are off work and off school. We're sure you're wondering why Bank Holiday Monday is called 'Bank Holiday' in the UK? It's because it is the day on which banks are obliged to close by law. More traditionally, English folklore celebrations take place and include morris dancing (English folk dancing to music with bells on their arms and legs) and a maypole, around which traditional dancers or children circle with ribbons.  

France follows a more romantic view of May 1st. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became a custom to give a lily of the valley flower as a symbol of springtime. Nowadays, people tend to give a bunch of lily of the valley to loved ones.

There is a more serious side to May Day, too. The first day of May is also known as Labour Day or International Worker's Day. This day commemorates the fight for an 8-hour day and to honour workers and their institutions. This idea for a 'worker's holiday' began in Australia in 1856 and quickly spread around the world. Not all countries observe this day in May. In the USA, for instance, Labor Day is on the first Monday in September.