MAYPOLE

[Dr. Goodword]

• Maypole •

Pronunciation: may-pol • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A tall pole that stands in the center of town or that is erected annually, around which people dance on May 1st. Traditionally, the top of the pole contains flowers and draped from its pinnacle are many ribbons or flower chains. The dance involves a circle of alternating boys and girls, who dance in opposite directions while holding the ribbons, braiding the ribbon down the pole. In some Germanic countries the ribbons are omitted or are painted on the pole, which is also decorated with flowers, flags, and other local symbols.

Notes: The Maypole and the Maypole dance go far back into Germanic pagan history. Both were part of the celebration of the Celtic god Beltane at the beginning of Celtic summer (the light half of the year) which lasted until Samhain, November 1. The dance, the pole, and the virgin selected as May Queen to walk in front of the May Day procession—all originated in pagan fertility rites that may go back to the ancient Babylonians.

In Play: The erection of the Maypole on May 1st is aptly named since many consider it a male symbol that is, in the course of the dance, covered with feminine flowers and ribbons. May Day more recently, of course, has been preempted by the socialist parties around the world as International Labor Day and is celebrated as such in most countries.

Word History: The first of today's two Good Words is May, the name of the month. It comes from the name of the Roman goddess of spring, Maia. Simple enough: May Day celebrates the return of spring. The goddess's name is based on a root responsible for English majesty from Latin maiestas "greatness, authority", as well as major and mayor. The root of Maia's name is probably related to English may and might. It certainly is shared by the Sanskrit word maha(t) "great" found in maharaja "great king", mahatma "great spirit" (Gandhi), and maharishi "great seer".

[Perry]

May Day is also International Workers Day; originatingin the US (i.e. not with any communist country as might be supposed).

[scw1217]

Very interesting word history, none of which I knew. My memories of the "may pole" are from elementary school spring fairs. I don't recall participating, however.

[sluggo]

Perry's right- I believe International Workers Day is unrelatedly conincidental; I don't see a pre-emption involved.

Other update: Beltane is a Gaelic name not for a god but for the festival day itself.
From Bealtaine (Irish) /Bealltainn (Scottish), "bright fire", for the ritual bonfires, the official beginning of pastoral summer.

Aside from the obvious pole, May Day hands down festivites of abundance and fertility involving copious various floral decoration, Morris Dancing (UK) and the personages the May Queen/Queen of the May, Maid Marian and the Green Man.



Happy May Day!

[Dr. Goodword]

My apologies for missing May Day. I have an article on May Day itself in the library.

May Day was first proclaimed International Workers Day by the Second International in Paris in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886. It was so successful that it continued everywhere in the world but the US, which had begun its own Labor Day holiday in 1882.

[sluggo]

Not at all, you had already done it two years ago, Doc. The link in my post goes to the GWotD thread version of your same opus. My nitpicking on Maypole enabled me to bring both to the fore.

[gailr]

Many on-line sites insist that both Beltane and Samhain are the names of deities, rather than the Anglicized names of old Celtic festivals. This information gets copied and pasted without verifying into all sorts of neutral reference sites as well, thus misleading even our own Dr. Goodword.
(The more aggressive authors add that various Pagan groups may be too ignorant to understand or too deceptive to admit this. It's a little like angrily insisting that Christians worship the gods Christmas and Easter. Repeating it ten thousand times doesn't make it so.)

We didn't have maypole dances when I was in (parochial) grade school, but we did fashion May Baskets from construction paper and reinforcing tape for our moms at least once.

Thanks for the good word.

[sluggo]

Many on-line sites insist that both Beltane and Samhain are the names of deities, rather than the Anglicized names of old Celtic festivals. This information gets copied and pasted without verifying into all sorts of neutral reference sites as well, thus misleading even our own Dr. Goodword.

(The more aggressive authors add that various Pagan groups may be too ignorant to understand or too deceptive to admit this. It's a little like angrily insisting that Christians worship the gods Christmas and Easter. Repeating it ten thousand times doesn't make it so.)

Well put. One All Hellos Eve a few years ago I and a friend were walking by an internet radio station studio set up in the French Quarter. You could hear the broadcast on the street, where they were talking about some guy named "Sam Hane". Needles to say we barged in and set 'em straight.

We didn't have maypole dances when I was in (parochial) grade school, but we did fashion May Baskets from construction paper and reinforcing tape for our moms at least once.

We had not only the baskets but the entire May Procession, another cover version of May Day and apparently still going on according to the Googles.
Amazingly, Wiki has no entry on this at all

[Stargzer]

... (The more aggressive authors add that various Pagan groups may be too ignorant to understand or too deceptive to admit this. It's a little like angrily insisting that Christians worship the gods Christmas and Easter. Repeating it ten thousand times doesn't make it so.)
...

Christians in general don't, but retailers and manufacturers do, especially Christmas.

[gailr]

... (The more aggressive authors add that various Pagan groups may be too ignorant to understand or too deceptive to admit this. It's a little like angrily insisting that Christians worship the gods Christmas and Easter. Repeating it ten thousand times doesn't make it so.)
...

Christians in general don't, but retailers and manufacturers do, especially Christmas.

So...it is true!