January's News

29.01.10 | 16:15

What is May Day?

One question that we hear once a year is what exactly is May Day and why do we celebrate it?

As we have May Day weekend breaks available for you to book, we thought we would clarify what exactly May Day is.

May Day was celebrated across Europe for many years but the festival reached its height in England during the Middle Ages. On the first day of May, English villagers awoke at daybreak to roam the countryside gathering blossoming flowers and branches. A towering maypole was then set up on the village green.

The villagers then danced and sang around the maypole, accompanied by a piper. May Day is celebrated differently across the world but in England it is mainly celebrated as the start of spring, hence why we see many bright colours being used.

May Day has a huge number of traditions but the most popular being the Maypole. Early in the day the villagers would go to the nearest woodland and cut down a young tree.

The tree would be stripped of its branches except at the top (where the leaves symbolized new life) and dragged or carried to an open space in the town square or village green.

The Maypole would then be decorated with garlands of flowers and ribbons. Each child holds one of the coloured ribbons and circles the maypole with a hopping, skipping step.

As they dance, the children pass each other until the ribbons are plaited together and wrapped tightly around the Maypole. Even today this tradition can be seen in local villages across the country.

May Day is now a national holiday and also offers families the perfect opportunity to get away for a weekend break. This is why Parkdean have a number of May Day weekend breaks available for you to book from an amazing £112.

Visit our latest deals page now and don't miss out on a family break.