The May Basket
These days I never hear much about the old May Day celebrations, but I do remember that as a child I used to make a May Basket for my mother. I’d either find or make the basket and fill it with wildflowers and/or candy. I don’t remember the part about ringing the doorbell and running away (perhaps because for me “run” seemed to be a synonym for “fall down”), but I do remember that she was supposed to be surprised. Just why she would be surprised every year as the same event occurred, I don’t know!
I’ve never seen a Maypole dance, but after doing a search on Google, found that such celebrations are still being held here and there throughout the world, including at least one college campus in the USA. Here are a few links that you might find of interest: May Day celebration, New Haven, CT , a brief history of May Day celebrations, an English child’s view of May Day.
It’s a bit late to plan on giving someone a May Basket, but don’t forget that Mothers’ Day is looming on the horizon. If you don’t know what to do for your Mom, you might want to take a look at the gift baskets for Mom page on my Silver and Stone website