A May Day Celebration

 May Day

The bells of St. Hildegard’s rang out early yesterday morning in celebration of May Day in the parish. The sun shone bright, the day fair, making for a cheerful atmosphere among the people of the village.

The ladies had been very busy indeed making things ready for the day. There were tables set up for the luncheon feast, buntings and festoons of spring flowers lending a colourful background. The men had erected a small dais, complete with throne upon which the May Queen would preside. Flowers and sprigs of leaves adorned the thrown, softening its appearance.

When the villagers began wandering down to the glebe for the day’s festivities, all were in high spirits, calling hellos to their friends and neighbours. The children were especially eager for the day to begin, for in addition to the May Baskets of flowers for the ladies, there would be May Day cakes for the children.

Mr. Penn called all to order to announce our May Queen for the Day was Miss Fiona Broome. She shyly went to the dais where the children crowned her with a ring of flowers and bay leaves. Holding up her sceptre, she called for the feast to begin. During lunch she smiled prettily at those raising their glass to toast her reign. There was much talk and laughter as all enjoyed the food which was supplied by the good wives of the parish and supplemented by the beneficent Lady Caroline. There were toasts all around to those who had made such a day possible, and special thank you to Eva Broome who had made the May Day Cakes for the children.

After lunch was the dancing around the Maypole. The children happily held their ribbons as they skipped in time with the music, carefully weaving in and around one another until their ribbons were neatly plaited on the pole. For their efforts, each child was given their May Day cake bringing smiles to them all.

The Morris Dancers were in attendance, delighting the people with there intricate steps and tapping of sticks, the bells they wore jingling as they danced. The children watched in wonder as the dancers kept time with one another, all in step.

Later in the afternoon a quartet of musicians began to play and the dancing for all commenced. It was an afternoon of light-hearted fun for young and old alike, a day to mark the warmer longer days of Spring and the return of the sun’s warmth.