#FunFactFriday – May Day
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Pixabay
May has officially sprung! To kick off our first #FunFactFriday of the month, we’re giving a shoutout to May Day – a celebration of spring in the Northern Hemisphere that lands on the first day of May.
May Day, like HMA Public Relations, wears multiple hats. It’s linked across the globe to several public holidays, from a religious celebration to a day honoring the fight for workers’ rights, and is most notably known for welcoming the change in season. Dating back over a millennium, the day’s origin comes from spring’s connection to fertility and rebirth.
Ways to Celebrate
- Give Flowers! It is traditional to give the gift of a “May basket” to neighbors, with small plants or flowers inside. Have a garden you’ve been meaning to prune? Trim off flowers for your friends to celebrate! Today’s baskets also include sweets – don’t skimp on the chocolate!
- Dance around a maypole. You know – those brightly-colored poles with long ribbons attached at the top? It’s traditional for a group to make a circle around the pole, grab a ribbon and take off in an elaborate dance, weaving the ribbons in and around each other. Seeing this lost medieval art form in action is even more impressive than it sounds.
- Take the day off? If you’re also celebrating International Workers’ Day, which is commonly linked to May Day, why not take the day off in solidarity? Not to be confused with Labor Day, this holiday is also about honoring workers and pays tribute to laborers who lost their lives in the first strikes for workers’ rights, fighting for the eight-hour work day. If you’re feeling really adventurous, why not take part in the latest protests.
