Listen to the article When you think about May Day in modern times, your first thoughts are on the International Workers’ Day holiday. However, long before the labor movement, May Day was an important festival
May Day came and went so quickly for us and by the time I got the new ribbons for our Maypole it was pouring rain, even though we had a 5 meter high pole that Saxon had cut down for us. So we were unable to celebrate with the usual singing and dancing around the Maypole. So for Moran's birthday she wanted to have a Maypole and we made this one from scratch. Here is how we made it! Materials: * A pole of your choice, we cut down a tree from our block, but in the past we have used a very long piece of timber, a tall tomato stake (our first maypole was this as our children were all small then) or you could use a plastic pipe of some sort. * A hole to put the pole in and a strong lad to dig it, or a lass if you prefer. * Ribbon to length. Our pole length was 3 meters above ground with a half meter buried . So our ribbon was meters long, they could have been longer but this was more than adequate The colour and how many depends on personal choice. Our Maypole has 10 ribbons of various colours, but 10 because that is how many children we have at home at the moment. You can add or take off the ribbons at will. * metal U shape fence staples Here is an image link These are to tie the ribbon they can be taken off when not in use * hammer, shovel and perhaps a sledge hammer * flowers to decorate the top. We used silk ones as it is Autumn season here and not many flowers in our garden. * participants First off lay your pole across two 'ponies' as we call them, builders saw horses to steady the pole while you work on it. You may want to dig your hole now and check you have enough depth, for safety reasons, prior to completing your Maypole. The next thing to do is to hammer in your U shape staples around the top of the pole about 10-15 cm from the top. You can measure accurately if you like but I just 'eye-balled them in' Take your flowers and place them in and around the U shapes, with blossom part upward, holding them steady with one or two further down the pole if needed. You can see from this view that the flowers are amongst the U shapes and yet still see the U shapes for tying on the ribbon. Ribbon waiting to be tied on to the pole. The ribbon is simply tied on with a knot that can be taken off as desired. You could add more than one colour from each U shape but we did not All ready to be placed in the pre dug hole I just love the way it looks with the flowers and ribbons on top. Ready for our children to use All about to start. Ribbon wrapping around the pole Children running and leaping and praising God. We really have never learned any of the complicated dances but simple skipping and running while singing this song~ Fairy Branch Song: Here's a branch of snowy May! A branch the Fairies gave me! Who would like to dance today With the branch the fairies gave me? Dance away dance away Holding high the branch of May! Dance away dance away Holding high the branch of May! Here is a pattern to follow if you are more adventurous I hope you have enjoyed this small tutorial on making a Maypole. Really a simple and sweet tradition to share with your own children or others as well. For more ideas to celebrate Mayday and Maypoles look Here and a painting from last year by our talented Eden Eden's Mayday Girl (original work) Blessings to you and your homes,
LEARN | PAGAN HOLIDAYS | BELTANE
Visit the post for more.
Crafting Beltane spell jars can be a wonderful addition to your celebrations! Click through for three magical jars to create this year!
"Maypole Dance" (sketch) in #Sharpie #pen and #watercolor. A bit early, but enjoy! #MayDay #Beltane #HappyBeltane
What did our European ancestors celebrate on the 1st of May and why? Discussing the history, traditions and rituals of Beltane - the festival of fertility, sexuality and protection.
Delightful and quite stunningly coloured Blue Mallow Flowers, are also known as High Mallow, Malva sylvestris, Common Mallow, Ebegumeci, Althaea rosaea, Mallards, Mauls, and French hollyhock Blue Mallow Flowers – A Spiritual Herb:- For centuries Blue Mallow Flowers (Malva sylvestris) were laid down in front of dwellings or worn as a garland for Mayday/Beltane celebrations in England. The flower has a long Wiccan association. Culpeper considered this a Venus herb, and wrote of it as “beneficial for love magick, but is also useful in Water magick.” These flowers do not have a fragrance. Under the terms of Etsy's Medical Drug Claims policy, sellers on Etsy are forbidden to share knowledge of the traditional or medicinal uses of their products. It would be beneficial for you to research a product we feature prior to placing any order. Message us via ‘Etsy Conversations and we will try to assist with any information we can This information and the products themselves have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. If you have a health concern or condition you would be wise to consult your doctor or a qualified practitioner
Listen to the article When you think about May Day in modern times, your first thoughts are on the International Workers’ Day holiday. However, long before the labor movement, May Day was an important festival
After stumbling upon artist Phoebe Wahl‘s work last night, I was overcome with nostalgia, comfort and utter joy. Her watercolors and collages depict a simple and modest kind of utopia. It’s impossible not to get…
Listen to the article When you think about May Day in modern times, your first thoughts are on the International Workers’ Day holiday. However, long before the labor movement, May Day was an important festival
#Beltane blessings and a very happy #MayDay to everyone Sumer is icumen in
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of eight seasonal sabbats that are observed by many historical and contemporary pagans. On our blog we’ve previously covered two of the fire festivals, Samhain and Imbolc. May 1st will mark the third of the fire festivals: Beltane.Beltane, also known as May Day, falls approximately midway between the spring equinox (Ostara) and the summer solstice (Litha) in the Northern Hemisphere. While the autumn festival Samhain begins of the dark half of the year, Be
