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Story from Janis entitled "MAYPOLE DAY" May 1st |
(A bank Holiday)-May day (May1st) has been associated with spring Festivals and coincides with the ancient Celtic celebrations of Beltane, the name being derived from the goddess Belenus, Maypole dancing is the great tradition of May 1st. A Maypole is a permanent feature of many English villages-some very old. On May Day teams of dancers will perform intricate patterns whilst circling the pole and the ribbons will interweave as they make their way down the pole with a very decorative results. Crowning the May Queen is another tradition which persists, originally there would have been a May King as well as a May Queen. In some places the May King and May Queen tradition is associated with Robin Hood and Maid Marian, popular figures in English Folklore dating from the period just after the normal Conquest, "Here we go gathering nuts in May"… would have Originally been May blossom, the flower of the Hawthorn which comes into blossom around the end of April. This custom of Maying" was, and still is in some places, a very wide spread. The Hawthorn is a very common shrub and a distinctive of the English countryside.
Each year in May I make appoint of going to a park noted for its fine display of rhododendrons. On one visit, though, I was too early, for the buds were tightly closed and I came away disappointed. My second visit proved disappointing as well, for there had been some over night frosts and chilly mornings, which had delayed the flowering process.
However, my third attempt was successful and I was rewarded with a wonderful show of gorgeous rhododendrons-white, cream, apricot, pink, mauve, scarlet and crimson-and I sat amongst them, enjoying my picnic and revelling in the sheer beauty.
I learned back on the park seat contentedly and thought doesn't this just prove the wisdom of that old proverb, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again'?"
