Happy May Day!

A random knock sounds on the door, you open but no one is there…but wait, what is this?  A surprise basket of goodies!

Around the globe, the celebration of May Day dates back millennia, welcoming the change in the season.  One of the popular traditions of May Day was dancing around the May Pole with colorful ribbons.  This ancient fertility rite was to promote a healthy standing of crops for the new year.

Not as popular in America, other forms of celebration did find their way to the new world.  In the United States, International Workers’ Day came from the 19th century labor movement for workers’ rights.  On May 1, 1886, over 300,000 workers across the United States walked out of their jobs, demanding better working conditions.  Today’s 8 hour work-day/40 hour work-week is a product of that movement.

What does May Day have to do with the international distress call, Mayday, Mayday?  As it turns out, nothing.  In 1923, an airport radio officer in London invented the term which sounded like “m’aider,” which means, in French, “Come help me.”

However you choose to celebrate, we wish you a Happy May Day!