Day 1: May Day!

Dear readers, today is the first of May, and though there were other options available, I chose the traditional route and briefly celebrated May Day. Sadly, I was unable to erect a Maypole on such short notice.  I did, however, celebrate in the following ways:

1. May Day basket. After donning a sundress, despite the cloudy, cool weather, and a be-ribboned wreath of faux flowers for my hair, I took some scissors and tramped down into the woods to collect some flowers and branches. I'll admit that when I saw that my neighbors were out in the yard, I sheepishly took the wreath out of my hair and slung it over my arm; I'm easily embarrassed when I do odd things in solitude...in a group, that's another story. Anyway, traditionally a May Day basket is filled with seasonal trimmings, decorated with ribbon and left hanging on a friend's door. I wove a pink ribbon through my basket, arranged the flowers, and left it sitting on our rocking chair like so:

2. Corinna's Going a Maying. A poem by one of my favorite Renaissance authors, Robert Herrick, "Corrina's Going a Maying" details the narrator's efforts to get Corinna out of bed and into the countryside to celebrate. Though I read it aloud to myself out on the porch, I'll leave you with just a short excerpt:

Come, let us go while we are in our prime,
And take the harmless folly of our time.
We shall grow old apace, and die
Before we know our liberty.
Our life is short, and our days run
As fast away as does the sun,
And, as a vapour or a rain,
Once lost, can ne'er be found again
So when you or I are made
A fable song, or fleeting shade,
All love, all liking, all delight,
Lies drowned with us in endless night.
Then, when time serves, and we are but decaying,
Come, my Corrina, come: let's go a-Maying.

Beautiful, no?

May Day has doubtless evolved over the centuries; the pastoral images that come to mind are not necessarily the way the world celebrates anymore. In some places it's now associated with the way we in America celebrate Labor Day. In many countries, May Day is a bank holiday. Huff Post was particularly informative as to that subject.

Did anyone else celebrate May Day today? What did you do?
Tomorrow is Brothers and Sisters day; not quite sure how I'll be celebrating that one yet.

BREAKING NEWS: Looks like May Day will also be the day that Osama Bin Laden's death is celebrated. Weird.