As the sun beams in through the window this morning, yesterday’s post damning the weather feels a little premature. The jury is certainly out on what we’ll be dealt over the May Bank Holiday weekend though – will we be off to the seaside with a delicious picnic hamper? It’s difficult to say at the moment, but we’ll make sure we let you know all about it on Tuesday morning!

In the meantime, we can pick up where we left off yesterday by examining some more of the peculiar May Day celebrations which will be taking place throughout the country this weekend.

In Whitstable, Kent, Morris dancers will proceed through the town as part of the Jack in the Green festival, revived in 1976. Similar proceedings will occur in Hastings, as they have since 1983.

Padstow will hold its annual ‘Obby ‘Oss festival and in Rochester a Sweeps Festival will be held where the Jack in the Green will be woken at dawn on May the 1st by Morris dancers.

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A glance out of the window suggests that our optimism for a sunny bank holiday earlier this week was probably unfounded. So, rather than continue to extol the virtues of a hamper or picnic basket for the weekend, we thought it would be nice to find a bit more about why May Day is a public holiday. Then we’ll get back to what we do best, which is designing fantastic Christmas hampers!

May Day is a traditional holiday in many cultures which occurs on May the 1st and refers to several public holidays. May Day celebrations take place in many different countries, in differing forms. These include Finland, Ireland, France, Germany, Scotland, Hawaii and the Americas, to name just a few.

In England, traditional May Day rites include Morris Dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing round the Maypole.

The May Day Bank Holiday, always on the first Monday in May, was traditionally the only one to affect the state school calendar as the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays usually fall within the 2 weeks breaks between the school terms.

As well as celebrations in Oxford, Padstow and throughout the country, in Durham students of the University of Durham gather on Prebends bridge at 5am to see the sunrise and enjoy pagan festivities, folk music, dancing, madrigal singing and a barbecue.

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