(This is not a piano topic.)

I'm curious to know what celebrations are going on in your area. I don't know anyone here celebrating "May Day". When I hear "May Day" the first thing I think of is the distress call you see in movies. But I'd love to hear whether others celebrate it and if so how it's being celebrated.

In Kentucky we have the Kentucky Derby the first Saturday of each May. Women buy big hats at this time of year (I don't). It's a horse race at Louisville Downs and an excuse to throw a party. This is the only time of year you'll hear "mint juleps" mentioned.

There is also Mother's Day coming up soon. A time to either get your mother a gift or to call, or just feel guilty for not doing anything.

Anything that is being celebrated in your neck of the woods?

"...your neck of the woods..."

Many May day events were cancelled due to the inclement weather conditions. A lot of the UK was officially put on drought status a couple of weeks ago, so obviously it hasn't stopped raining since! We had the hottest March on record and now the wettest April in >100 years (and a drought)!

A village a couple of miles up the road does a good traditional do...
Iron Acton May day

This is what would have been on offer...

10.30 Westerleigh Brass Band
10.45 Procession & crowning of May Queen & King
11.30 Morris Dancers and Cloggers
12.15 Country Dancers from North Road School
12.30 Maypole Dancers from Iron Acton School
13.00 Tug of War
13.45 Kathryn Hurley's School of Dance
14.15 Dog Obedience
14.45 Morris Dancing
15.30 Maypole dancing with Adult Dance to follow
Live music from 16.00

I guess the big 'do' further down in the South West (Cornwall) is the Padstow May day 'obby oss' do, which is probably even more pagan in origins and basically features massed bands of accordian players and drums playing the same tune (May Song) all day non-stop (whilst the pubs do good business)...

Padstow May day celebrations

Wow! May Day is big there. Thanks for the pix and info.

BTW, I came up with this thread after ordering a book from Nikolas (from Greece). He had messaged me on May 1st to say that he received the order and since it is May Day it would go to mail the following day. That's when I realized that May Day is celebrated elsewhere.

Here everything was open including the banks. And banks close for almost ANY holiday. So you know May Day is not a big deal here.

The UK May "Bank Holiday" (Public Holiday) is next Monday (7th).

It's nice getting a peek at what's going on in other countries. Enjoy your holiday.

Oh, I forgot to mention we have Memorial Day on Monday May 28. Schools, banks and all will be closed.

BTW, I came up with this thread after ordering a book from Nikolas (from Greece). He had messaged me on May 1st to say that he received the order and since it is May Day it would go to mail the following day. That's when I realized that May Day is celebrated elsewhere.



Ann, I vaguely remember as a young child leaving little baskets with candy on the porches of neighbors on May Day. Also at the playground, we really did dance around the Maypole (which was some pole with a ball attached that none of us knew what to do with). We had no idea what we were celebrating though. This was in North Dakota, by the way.

piRound,
Thanks for sharing your memories about May Day.

True, true...

the 1st of May is celebrated here by gathering flowers and keeping them in the front door, until the beginning of the summer, when we burn them and jump over the fires (I think to drive away the bad spirits?)

Thanks Nikolas. It's so interesting to see what traditions people have.

BTW I'm getting ready to be off the first week of June for a summer "staycation". I'm doing my travel by talking with folks here on PW, reading etc. I appreciate the people on this forum.

Ann,

That sounds like a sombre occasion, I'm not sure whether to wish you enjoy it or not?

The week after (4th & 5th June), we get a "double" bank holiday Spring Bank holiday on the Monday and then on Tuesday it's Lizzie's Diamond Jubilee bank holiday thingie.

"Staycation" - like it! I'm on Staycation this week....

It looks like we traded the joy of "May Day" and May pole dances for "Memorial Day". People are happy to be off work, and there are plenty of cook outs. But in the back of your mind you wonder if you should be visiting graves of relatives.

Lizzie's Diamond Jubilee-we definitely don't have that one.

Ann, out west here in Seattle, we have another tradition growing in popularity. You may have caught some of it on the evening news. We like to dress up in black, grab crow bars, and run though town and smash cars, shop windows, etc. It adds a lot of festivity to the occasion. Sometimes our local police will add color by letting off some tear gas, just for effect, of course.

Speaking of mint juleps, I'll bet it's one of the few days you get to sing the unexpurgated version of, "My Old Kentucky Home."

No I hadn't heard about these "celebrations" in Seattle

To tell the truth I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, but I think you're right about the original verses being sung.

Update. "I'll Have Another" just won the derby. This time I paid attention to the singing and saw that "My Old Kentucky Home" was the sanitized version ("the people are gay").