Seeing as it's 1st May, here is a painting called 'May Queen', by Catherine Gogerty Artist, an artist whose work I have been enjoying for a couple of years or so.
As I'm sure most people are probably aware, (but I'll witter on about it anyway, hopefully without errors!), today marks the Celtic festival of Beltane and the start of summer. It was traditionally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man (where it's known as Laa Boaldyn) with bonfires, dancing, and rituals to encourage fertility and protect livestock. In Wales it was known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf. Parts of England, particularly areas with stronger Celtic roots, also took part in celebrations.
By the Middle Ages, May Day had become a major popular festival across Europe. Villages would gather to erect and dance around maypoles and crown a May Queen. I remember practicing maypole dancing in the village as a child, though I don't recall attending any feasts or public celebrations.
During the 19th century, 1st May became politically significant through the international labour movement. In 1889, socialist groups declared May 1st International Workers’ Day, commemorating workers’ rights struggles. In the UK, it became associated with trade union marches, rallies, and political demonstrations. London’s May Day marches, particularly from the late 19th century onwards, became a regular feature of political life. Such marches still continue, usually around the weekend nearest in the calendar.
Right, that's enough. I'm off for a walk now in search of baby balsam shoots and gravestones covered in ivy.
POSTSCRIPT: ADDITIONAL INFO
The term "Mayday" is the international distress signal used in voice-procedure radio communications to signify a life-threatening emergency, typically by ships and aircraft. It signifies imminent danger, such as fire, sinking, or structural failure, and requires immediate assistance.
Repeated three times — "Mayday, mayday, mayday" — to prevent confusion. It is derived from the French phrase m'aider or m'aidez ("help me"). Originally coined by Frederick Stanley Mockford in 1923, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London, to make it easily understood by English and French speaking pilots.
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