May Day is pretty much dead in the USA now [Archive]

invisibleflash

5-1-20, 2:52pm

Cinco replaced May Day in the USA. May Day was big in the old days, but pretty much dead now.

Here is a May Day fete from Mount de Chantal girls school in Wheeling WV from 1959 as an example. May Day was celebrated ALL over the USA.

https://archive.org/search.php?query...Chantal%201959 (https://archive.org/search.php?query=May%20Day%20Celebration%20at%20Mo unt%20De%20Chantal%201959)

May Day is / was big in USSR, but don't know where it stands now. Do they still have big parades in Russia?

318331843185

happystuff

5-1-20, 3:00pm

I remember in elementary school, they would gather the classes out on the playground and have several May poles set up. We would do the weaving in and out with our strands of... I think crepe paper... turning the pole into a braid of color. And the principal would ALWAYS where a pink suit jacket! Haven't thought of that in decades. Thanks!

bae

5-1-20, 3:08pm

May Day/Beltane is still a pretty big deal in the islands here.

Tybee

5-1-20, 3:12pm

We used to make paper baskets with woven strips of paper and fill them with flowers and hang them on doorknobs.

My kids did it too, 30 years ago when they were little.

iris lilies

5-1-20, 3:26pm

In tiny German heritage Hermann, they have an annual Maypole festival, and also kids know about May baskets.

All of that cancelled this year of course.

Tradd

5-1-20, 7:25pm

May Day became the Communist Labor Day, I believe.

Simplemind

5-1-20, 7:50pm

We did the same Tybee. We would fill them with lilacs and hang them on doorknobs.

Alan

5-1-20, 8:10pm

I think the proximity of Arbor Day, Earth Day and May Day probably has something to do with it's lack of current relevance. Having it associated with communism and just a week or so after celebrating Earth day on Vladimir Lenin's birthday may be a little much for most people.

jp1

5-1-20, 9:48pm

It's also possible it has something to do with the fact that labor in the US is at a historically weak moment. Union membership lower than any time since there have been unions. And a president and senate majority leader literally pushing for people to be forced to risk their lives to work or face unemployment, with no consequences to their employers, or required regulations on safety from the government. Meat packing plants used to have lots of good union jobs. If they still did we most assuredly would not be seeing a situation where the government is trying to insulate the plants from taking any responsibility for the safety of workers during a pandemic while simultaneously forcing those workers to either go back to their unsafe jobs or become unemployed without access to unemployment insurance.

ToomuchStuff

5-2-20, 2:29am

I can't remember ever understanding what culture May Day came from. I remember seeing old reels and Disney type films about it, but the only reference I can remember in the last decade plus, was on a sign outside an exotic dance studio a few years back, when I had to go way out of my normal driving way.

invisibleflash

5-2-20, 8:49am

I remember in elementary school, they would gather the classes out on the playground and have several May poles set up. We would do the weaving in and out with our strands of... I think crepe paper... turning the pole into a braid of color. And the principal would ALWAYS where a pink suit jacket! Haven't thought of that in decades. Thanks!

Didn't know nothing about it. Would have loved to see a film or video on the weaving. All I have is the old archival material.

razz

5-2-20, 9:22am

Didn't know nothing about it. Would have loved to see a film or video on the weaving. All I have is the old archival material.

That shared experience placed online within SLF is the joy of this site. :)

iris lilies

5-2-20, 10:52am

https://experiencehermann.com/hermann-missouri-yearly-attractions/hermann-missouri-festival-events/maifest-festival-in-hermann-missouri

Maifest in Hermann, an annual celebration

3187

catherine

5-2-20, 12:56pm

I can't remember ever understanding what culture May Day came from. I remember seeing old reels and Disney type films about it, but the only reference I can remember in the last decade plus, was on a sign outside an exotic dance studio a few years back, when I had to go way out of my normal driving way.

Wasn't it kind of a Medieval thing in Europe/Britain? To celebrate the end of winter?

Yppej

5-2-20, 12:56pm

May Day became the Communist Labor Day, I believe.

I think we are celebrating it Soviet style this year. Long lines to get into stores, many basics sold out, and what's left is overpriced.

razz

5-2-20, 1:16pm

https://experiencehermann.com/hermann-missouri-yearly-attractions/hermann-missouri-festival-events/maifest-festival-in-hermann-missouri

Maifest in Hermann, an annual celebration

3187

Be careful, IL. If you promote iHermann too well, you will be invaded by people wanting to live there for all its charms thereby destroying it. ;)