May Day Customs and Jokes

May Day Customs and Jokes

• May Day Customs
• May Day Jokes
• Maypole (May Pole)
• Jack-in-the-Green
• Mayday: venez m'aider

May Day Customs

As a world-wide day of celebration, the first of May probably ranks second only to New Year's day.  Whereas everyone celebrates the New Year, albeit in different ways, May Day has many different customs depending on where in the world you live:

• May Day - The first day of summer
• Beltane - Cross quarter day. Half way between the Vernal Equinox and Mid-Summer solstice
• Maypole dances in England
• Walpurgis Night (Germany and Scandinavia). - Bonfires and devil worship
  Hitler chose this night to commit suicide in 1945
• Labor Day - China and Russia hold formal parades
  (N.B. Labor day in USA is on first Monday in September)

While May Day is now considered to be 1st May (or May 1st), Beltane or Walpurgis starts on the last evening of April and ends on 1st May.  There is evidence that at in ancient times  pagan celebrations occurred on the nearest full moon rather than the 1st of May.  One thought that flashes through my mind is all the different drinks that people world-wide will use to toast May Day, for example beer in Bavaria (Germany), Sima in Savonlinna (Finland), cider in Cornwall and mead in Merthyr (Wales).

May Day Jokes

Right Turn?

Two yokels were driving to the next village's May Day Fair.  They came to a sign that said: May Day Fair Left.   .. so they turned around and went home!

How to get to the fair

A townie was looking for the May Day Fair, he stopped and asked Jethro.  'Will this road take me to the May Day Fair?'  'Oh no,' said Jethro.  'You'll have to go by yourself!'

Fell off the back of a lorry - Guy's favourite May Day Joke

Freddie was looking at the animals section at the May Fair when a dirty, scruffy man came running in the opposite direction.  He stopped and asked Freddie, 'Have you seen a cart load of pigs go this way?'  'No', said Freddie, 'Why did you fall off?'

A Balloon Ride to Nowhere

Norman decides to take a balloon ride on offer at the local May Day Fair.  The balloon and its customers drift along in the breeze, but eventually they are lost.   Norman has no idea where he is, so when the gondolier takes the basket down to ten feet above ground he calls to a passer-by: 'Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where I am?'

After looking Norman up and down, the passer-by says: 'You are in a red balloon, ten feet above ground.' The balloon's unhappy resident replied, 'You must be a lawyer'

'How could you possible know that?' asked the passer-by. 'Because your answer is technically correct but absolutely useless, and the fact is I am still lost'.

'Then you must be in management', said the passer-by. 'That's right! How did you know?' 'You have such a good view from where you are, and yet you don't know where you are and you don't know where you are going. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now your problem is somehow my fault!'

Footnote
Please send us your funny May Day Jokes

Maypole (May Pole)

The Maypole is certainly a symbol of courtship, and in many celebrations, of fertility.  On constant theme is a dance with one or more virgin girls at the center of the rituals.  My favourite celebrations is where the girls hold white ribbons, and dance clockwise, whereas the boys have red ribbons and dance counter-clockwise.

The English county of Cornwall has a long history, and a rich tradition of May pole dances, especially at Helston and Padstow. 

Morris Dancing
Although Morris Dancing is practiced at other times of year it has a special place in May Day celebrations.  The ancient Morris Dance is of Moorish origin, in this ritual the May-pole represents the May Queen and the man on the hobby-horse represents the Moorish King.  Other participants in the traditional Morris Dance are the Fool, the Lesser Fool, the Franklin (Gentleman), the Spaniard and a Friar.  As they dance so the Morris Men make music with bells on the legs and also by banging sticks with fellow Morris Men.

Jack-in-the-Green - Hastings, England

The origin of Jack-in-the-Green can be traced to May Day celebrations in general, and chimney sweeps in particular.   There is even a suspicion that Jack-in-the-Green goes back to the Normans and the Bayeux tapestry (see right).

Jack-in-the-Green has obvious associations with Robin Hood, and became a central character in 16th Century English May Day celebrations. About 1830 the chimney sweeps took Jack-in-the-Green as their mascot for their May Day parades.  These sweeps made Jack-in-the-Green one of the most noticeable and feared characters in May Day parades. 

However, by late Victorian times chimney sweeps were in decline and moreover, the May Day celebrations became more sedate, for these and other changes in fashion, Jack-in-the-Green died out.  Until he was resurrected in Whitstable, Kent in 1976, and then in Hastings, England by the Mad Jacks Morris Dancers in 1983.

May Day Poem

Round the maypole - round and round
Men and maids and children bound
Show'ring as they halt between
Honours on their May Day Queen.

A May Day Carol

Awake, awake, my pretty prithy maid,
Come out of your drowsy dream,
And step into your dairy hold,
And fetch me a bowl of cream
If not a bowl of cream, my dear,
A cup of meade to cheer,
For the Lord and Lady know we shall meet again,
To go Maying another year.
A branch of May I brought you here,
While at your keep I stand,
'Tis but a sprout all budded out,
By the power of our Lady's hand.
My song is done and I must be gone,
No longer may I stay,
Gods bless you all, the great and small,
And send you a joyous May.

Mayday - A Different Meaning

Will and Guy digress to bring you a different connotation of the word 'mayday'; namely, venez m'aider, come to my aid, which is used as an international distress call.  Check out our amusing video: Mayday - Sinking Feeling

Footnote:
Please send us your May Day jokes and funny stories.

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