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Why Do We Celebrate May Day?

© Elizabeth Batt

May Day began as a Pagan ritual. Pagan's are big believers of nature. They think the earth and its creatures are all connected. They believe in the cycles of nature and try to live their lives in tune with these cycles. Pagans were considered by some to be lacking in morals and the May Day celebration was seen as indecent.

Those who believed May Day was a sin were people known as Puritans. Puritans arose within the Church of England in the 16th century. They sought to 'purify' the church and they believed strongly in a commitment to God without sin and with a strict following of God's commandments. It is not hard to see how the Puritans and the Pagans fought over May Day.

A known Puritan of the 17th century was Philip Stubbe. He wrote a paper called, 'Anatomy of Abuses.' This paper which had one special section called, 'Against May,' attacked the May Day celebrations and their lack of Godliness. The Puritans got their wish when an act of Parliament in 1644, banned May Day.

Another thing that the Puritans didn't like about May Day was that it crossed all social classes. People from the very rich to the very poor all took part and the Puritans didn't like this mixing of social classes at all. May Day was to stay banned until 1660, when Charles II reinstated it but with drastic changes.

The May Day celebrations were again changed in the Victorian age. The Victorians turned it into a celebration of merry England and girls that took part, now wore white and carried posies. Some people claim that the changing of May Day hurt people who were poor. May Garlands were a symbol of the coming of Summer and people who made them used them to knock on doors and ask for money. Begging was banned at every other time of the year, so the garlands really gave people a chance to ask for money that they needed. Also, the taking of the tree for the Maypole, also gave the people the right to gather free wood for burning.

May Day is the one celebration of the year which doesn't have an important church service dedicated to it. However, it was chosen as 'International Labour Day,' by the Labour Movement. Seen as a popular custom and people's day, it remains with us still as a day to celebrate the coming of Summer.

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