Five Ways to Celebrate May Day

Daughter of Heaven and Earth, coy Spring,

With sudden passion languishing,

Maketh all things softly smile,

Painteth pictures mile on mile,

Holds a cup with cowslip-wreaths,

Whence a smokeless incense breathes.

Girls are peeling the sweet willow,

Poplar white, and Gilead-tree,

And troops of boys

Shouting with whoop and hilloa,

And hip, hip three times three.

The air is full of whistlings bland;

What was that I heard

Out of the hazy land?

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

May Day - also known as Beltane, Walpurgisnacht, and Floralia, later co-opted by early Christians to form the basis of Easter, May Day is undoubtedly a spring holiday. Full of frolicking in green grass and fresh flowers, making frenzied love in the woods, twirling colorful ribbons around a pole, and getting unabashedly drunk - this period is all about the love...


It's also pretty phallic in nature, too. May Poles. Think about it.

💮 Five Ways to Celebrate May Day 💮

1

Flora is known as the goddess of flowers and blossoming plants in the Roman pantheon and one way to honor her is to get outside and plant some flowers! If you have access to a garden space or even just a few pots of dirt on a balcony, toss in some wildflower seeds - not only will it pretty up your space, it's also good for the bees.

2

You can also throw a party in her name - stock up on a couple bottles of good rose and require all your guests arrive in colorful togas and ready to play games. Twister might be a bit risque, so perhaps stick to board games? Happy Floralia! 

3

Beltane, while also a fire festival, is largely considered a fertility holiday and among the Irish was an opportune time to get married. Consider a handfasting - a trial wedding that lasts a year and a day or renew your vows with the one you've already committed to. 

4

If you prefer something a little less serious and a lot more adventurous, go on a hike through the woods and find a place to get down and dirty with nature - just pack a blanket! Sexy times aren't so sexy when laying on pine needles. 

5

This one's for my witches - it's our second Halloween, after all. Walpurgisnacht or Hexennnacht is the second time of the year when devils, ghosts, and spirits walk the earth - it falls exactly six months after Samhain after all. Dress up in your witchy best, cast a spell or two, and enjoy some classic divination!




Looking for some more info on the history of May Day? Check out Ellen's amazing article here on Astrology.Com!