Whew! Our parents who had us celebrate May Day probably never heard this description of the holiday:
May Day (May 1) is a spring festival celebrating human fertility and the renewal of nature. The festival originated with the celebration of the Roman goddess Flora and spread to other countries of the Roman Empire. May Day was especially popular in England during medieval times. Activities centered around the maypole, a tree collected from the woods and brought to the village to celebrate the upcoming summer. Many people participated in temporary sexual encounters while they were off in the woods.
Fortunately, Christians liberated the holiday and transformed it. I remember as a kid we made our May Day baskets which we brought to friend's houses.
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