May Day and May Baskets

In many ways, May signifies the May flowers that come from April showers, just as the song says. May is spring.

In the Louisa May Alcott book, "Jack and Jill," the young people create May baskets to hang on various doors in town. They have trouble gathering much from the wild because it has been a long winter. They still manage to show their appreciation for many of their friends in the community.

When I was about five or six, we would make May baskets by weaving construction paper into a mat, folding that into basket shape and stapling it. Then we would staple on a handle, fill it with flowers, and leave the basket on a front door knob as a May day gesture. Of course, such a gesture requires that you actually know your neighbors and are friends with them. As I got a little older, and we moved, I no longer shared spring cheer this way. Of course, the flowers I had shared when small were probably really weeds, but it is the thought that counts.

When I first read "Jack and Jill," I remembered making and giving May baskets. It must have been just about the time when that tradition was falling to the wayside. I don't even know how I found out about it. It might have been at school or from my mother. There are still school resources about May Day available, but I do not think most teachers have the flexibility for such activities. At least a family might be able to take advantage at home.

When I did a Google search and ended up at an ask.com page about May Baskets. One of the cited articles notes that they have been fading in popularity since the late twentieth century. I think part of that fading is in direct proportion to the depth of the relationships with our neighbors and community. We rely so directly on the car and so little on our neighbors that most of our relationships are elsewhere. How can you anonymously recognize and thank someone you don't even know?

As we have 'progressed,' we have moved away from May celebrations, such as the Maypole and May Day Baskets. It moved from a spring holiday to International Workers' Day. While the roots of the western holiday may be pagan, celebrating the return of warmer weather and the growth in our gardens is a great idea. Happy May Day!