May Day

May Day, on May 1st, is a spring celebration of the blooming flowers. It's an ancient holiday that originated with the festival of Floralia which honored Flora, the Flourishing One, the Roman goddess of spring. Flora is a bright nature goddess who makes trees bloom- she is a “lady of pleasure", but also a symbol of motherhood. She wears a garland of flowers in her hair, and in her right hand she holds a columbine, for fertility. 

Maying is what we call the things we do to celebrate this beautiful month-- going on picnics, picking flowers, dancing around a maypole, and sharing our love. In England a young woman is still chosen as May Queen, representing Flora, and is crowned with hawthorn blossoms. She is often accompanied by a May King.

Agenda today:

1. Prepare a Beltane fire
2. Bring in the May
3. May baskets
4. Make Tippaleivät (Finnish May Day Fritters)
5. Maypole Dances

6. Phenology record

1. Prepare a Beltane fire:

In some places, May Day celebrations still begin at sunset on April 30. May Day Eve is called Beltane or, in Germany, Walpurgisnacht, named for the English missionary Saint Walpurga (ca. 710–777).

A few year's ago I managed to collect oak, grape, birch, fir, apple, and hawthorn
from our yard in preparation for a fire. (I couldn't find the hazel, rowan and willow, so wisdom, 
life and death were unrepresented.)

Beltane means "fire of Bel"; Bel is a Celtic Sun God. On Beltane the Celts would build two large Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods: 

• birch for the goddess
• oak for the god
• rowan for life
• willow for death
• hawthorn for purity
• hazel for wisdom
• apple for love
• grapevine for joy
• fir for immortality

The Bel Fire was an invocation to Bel, asking him to bring his blessings and protection to the tribe. 
It celebrated the return of fruitfulness to the earth. The ashes were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields, to heal and purify.

2. Bring in the May:

 

Hawthorn is called the May bush, because it blooms now in England; ours is just on the verge.

Cutting the may blossom symbolizes the beginning of new life. I will hang a sprig of hawthorn at our front door to protect and purify our home.

3. May baskets: 

When I was very young, my siblings and I used to run around our neighborhood on May Day morning with flowers from our yard. We would put the flowers on the mat, ring the doorbell, and run and hide. It was scary and exciting!

Today I made simple may baskets and collected flowers from our garden to share.

Supplies: Wallpaper, hot glue gun, lace, scissors.

1. Cut a square of wallpaper. 

2. Roll it into a cone and hot glue one edge and the bottom.

3. Cut slits at the top and tie on a piece of lace.

4. Fill with flowers and hang on a door.

4. Make Tippaleivät (Finnish May Day Fritters):
The recipe is here.

5. Maypole Dances!
I have a clothesline post in my yard that we have used as a Maypole. My friend Georgia and I made ribbons from 4-inch strips of cloth sewn together, and attached one end of each to a plastic salsa container lid. We rolled the ribbons up for easy storage. When it is time to dance, I nail the plastic lid onto the top of my clothesline pole, and unrolled the ribbons.

I did have Maypole dances one year with my art class students, but I didn't get photos. It was very disorganized - we could have used some practice. I will try it again someday.

Here are the dances we tried. 

6. Phenology journal:

This year I've been recording the phenology in my garden to broaden my awareness, deepen my connection to the wildlife around me, and to better understand the calendar of my environment and how it is changing. I'm focusing on a few native plants and personal favorites in my yard, the birds at my feeder, and some specific patches of leaf mulch (for insects).

This transition week to May has been warm, with showers. The average temperature this last week was 66º'F, and we've had the 48th wettest year-to-date (January-March).

The USA National Phenology Network tracks the status of spring by when things bloom and leaves appear: "The First Leaf and First Bloom Indices are synthetic measures of these early season events in plants, based on recent temperature conditions. These models allow us to track the progression of spring onset across the country." 

Serviceberry and azalea in full bloom

It looks to me like our spring leaf-out was late, and our spring bloom is on time? 

May 1, 2025, Phenology Notes:

• General: Sunrise = 6:01 am; Sunset = 8:17 pm; Day length = 14 hours. Temperature high = 75º; Low = 38º.

• Rainfall so far this year: 12.53 in.

• Birds: Regular array of chickadees, stellar jay's, and finches. Also, my Anna's hummer.

• Plants: Oregon Sunshine and Yarrow - both lush- no blooms; Red-flowering currant- flower buds are finished; Serviceberry- in full bloom; Milkweed- coming up all over the place.

• Insects: lots of bees out

• Fungi