Happy May Day

Happy May Day

May Day is an ancient celebration originally with Pagan connotations. For the Druids of the British Isles, this day divides the year in half and was paired with the celebration of Beltane. When the Romans occupied the British Isles, the custom was to worship Flora, the goddess of flowers. The five-day celebration called Florilia, was held between April 28 and May 2.

Over the years the celebration has lost its fervor and religious meanings to become a day of joy and celebration for children. Dancing around a maypole with its colored streamers was something I remember doing in elementary school at Harpursville Central School. A friend of my grandmother would drop off a May basket for my brother and me.

It is also a day to celebrate workers rights. On May 1, 1886 hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers went on strike to demand an 8-hour work day. The Haymarket Riots of Chicago is a stark reminder of the struggle for basic worker rights that still exists today.

So today go outside in your yard, or here in Greene, NY where it is raining, inside and dance for all those essential workers who risk their lives for us in so many jobs. Give thanks and dance because we are blessed to have a home, family, and enough food to feed not only ourselves but those in need.

Have a blessed May Day everyone. Oh, and this is my very first blog. Let me know what you think.

Claudia