May Day May is a lovely month, with the start of good weather, blossom, bluebells, and white hawthorn are flowering, and the birds are singing. May 1 is called May Day. Since 1871 it had been a bank holiday in Scotland, and it was extended to the whole of the U.K. in 1978. May Day, also called Early May Bank Holiday, falls on the first Monday in May.
History The origin of May Day celebrations is lost in the midst of time. A tall, thin, stripped tree or pole was a focus for celebration. Each May Day morning, it was the custom to deck the poles with wreaths of flowers, and the people would dance around it. It was often raucous, with lots of drinking. It was not popular with the Puritans. In 1644 Parliament banned maypole dancing as “a Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness.” In 1660 when the monarchy was re-established under Charles II, maypoles were restored in many places. The tallest was erected in the Strand in London in 1661, which was 134 fe
Guardian bicentenary | Local elections | Singing birds | Cooling towers | Air pollution | Marmalade
It is unfair to use cooling towers to illustrate stories about pollution, writes Harold Pearson – the only thing coming out of them is steam. Photograph: Petr Josek Snr/Reuters
It is unfair to use cooling towers to illustrate stories about pollution, writes Harold Pearson – the only thing coming out of them is steam. Photograph: Petr Josek Snr/Reuters
Letters
Thu 6 May 2021 12.00 EDT
Last modified on Thu 6 May 2021 12.53 EDT
Thank you for your fascinating first edition (5 May 1821). I found myself smiling wryly at the first paragraph of the editorial – plus ça change.