Scholars believe that May Day originated in ancient Europe and possibly as far back as the Roman era as a celebration of Flora, the goddess of flowers, Dionysus, the god of wine and festivity, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. It was a celebration to ensure the fertility of the crops, livestock, and community. It is also linked to Beltane, the Gaelic spring festival celebrated on May 1st, and was celebrated as a holiday in many pagan traditions related to agriculture and fertility. Regardless of its origins, the celebration of spring was one of joy and light-hearted fun in the outdoors as the warmer weather of spring and summer began.
Unfortunately, the pagan roots of May Day celebrations were not popular with the established Church or State in Europe. In the sixteenth century, there were huge riots when May Day was banned. Fourteen rioters were hanged, and Henry VIII is said to have pardoned more than 400 rioters sentenced to death. By 1645, May Day had mostly disappeared when Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans were in power. Maypole dancing was described as “a heathenish vanity generally abused to superstition and wickedness” and legislation was passed to ban maypoles across the country.
In 1660, the celebration of May Day was restored. ‘The Merry Monarch’, King Charles I, was back on the throne and to help ensure the support of his subjects, he erected a 40-metre-high maypole in London’s Strand. The pole signalled the return of fun times and remained standing for almost 50 years.
In Europe and North America, common May Day traditions include dancing around the maypole with ribbons and crowning the May Queen. The maypole is a tall wooden pole erected during many European folk festivals and often involves a dance taking place around it. In the Lower Mainland, the schoolteachers would teach the children the maypole dance and each school would often have their own maypole.
