May 1st: May Day!

May Day marks the end of the uncomfortable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular celebrations.  It's a celebration of Spring, a day of political protests, a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.  In medieval England, people would celebrate the start of spring by going out to the country or woods and gathering greenery and flowers "bringing in the May".  A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of the May.

The Maypole - trees have been a symbol of spring since ancient times. The bringing in of the Maypole (May Tree) from the woods was a great occasion and was accompanied by much merrymaking. The Maypoles were of all sizes and one village would vie with another to show who could produce the tallest Maypole. Maypoles were usually set up for the day in small towns, but in London and the larger towns they were erected permanently. The Maypole tradition suffered a setback for about a couple of decades since the Puritan Long Parliament stopped it in 1644. However, with the return of the Stuarts, the Maypole reappeared and the festivities of May Day were again enjoyed.

Whatever form of May Day celebration you favor....it's a good excuse to eat a cupcake!

Maypole cupcake

tofutti break via Flickr

Made by Mel

Spring flower cupcakes

Betty Crocker Recipes

cupcakesnouveau