Mayday Madness

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Both sides of La Manche (aka the English Channel), celebrate May Day, a fusion between traditional pagan festivals and more recent workers’ rights.

Maypole Dancing - by Pete Ashton

In France, the bank holiday falls on May 1st, whereas England grants the first Monday in May to ensure a long weekend. But the differences run deeper than that…

The differences run deeper than that…

In Oxford, all-night revellers and schoolchildren (generally in two separate groups), gather at dawn to hear the hushed tones of the Magdalen College choir. For a short while, all is quiet, before mayhem descends and the pubs throw open their doors – at 6 am.

Morris Dancers - Red Betty Black

Morris Dancing fills the streets, with men in voluminous white blouses, bells, sticks and handkerchiefs dancing in formation.

Children wear face-paint and skip around a Maypole, a rod with rainbow ribbons attached at the top. Each child holds one ribbon and the choreography creates swirling patterns of colour.

Lily of the Valley

In France, things are a little different.

In the days before the holiday, workers buy lily-of-the-valley, a genteel pearly white flower, to present to a lady. This refreshingly sweet practice stems from the Court of Charles IX and everyone overlooks the ironic conflict with the day’s other purpose – to commemorate the rights of workers within the republic. As a concession, sales of the flower are tax-free.

Of course, people mark the occasion with their own rituals in both countries - by heading to DIY shops or hosting barbecues. These modern interpretations reflect the age-old promise of May Day – the hope that summer is around the corner.