Mayday, Mayday
© Stephen William Gray
In "the May Queen" a ploughman taking the air, as ploughmen do, meets a young damsel:
I took this fair maid by the lily white hand
And on the green mossy bank set her down
And I planted a kiss on her red ruby lips
And the small birds a-singing all around
And when we arose from the green mossy bank
Through the meadow we wandered away
I had plowed my true love on the green mossy bank
And I plucked her a handful of may
According to Ravenquest the ploughman was not alone with his damsel:
"This was a time of fertility and unbridled merrymaking, when young and old would spend the night making love in the Greenwood. In the morning, they would return to the village bearing huge budding boughs of hawthorn (the may-tree) and other spring flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families, and their houses. They would process back home, stopping at each house to leave flowers, and enjoy the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. In every village, the maypole - often a birch or ash pole - was raised, and dancing and feasting began".
Aah, the maypole. There are frequent attempts to revive the tradition - even in areas where it was not known to have a history. All good innocent fun I am sure - a bit like morris dancing. I can't see the connection with fertility there.
Maypole dancing is but one of the many May events still celebrated throughout the land. In Padstow they sing their May song throughout the day:
Unite and unite let us all unite,
For summer is a-come unto day,
And whither we are going we will all unite,
In the merry morning of May.
The town is decorated with the first greenery of the year, bluebells, cowslips,forget-me-nots, the catkins of hazel and sycamore twigs heavy with the first leaves of Spring as the procession follows the Obby Oss to the hypnotic tune.
In Bristol, Jack in the Green welcomes the Summer each year, in a lively procession through the city's streets, accompanied by musicians and dancers. Jack is a colourful figure, nine feet tall, and covered in greenery and flowers. He is accompanied by attendants, who are also completely disguised in green rags and vegetation. The attendants play music, dance and sing as they guide Jack through the streets to celebrate the coming of Summer.
