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happy beltaine, everyone.

oshinn — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:38:12 +0000

Beltaine, in Welsh, is called "Calen Mai", which means "Beginning of Summer". It is a Celtic holiday that in the Christian parts of the world is occasionally celebrated as May Day. It's a bit ludicrous to think of it as the beginning of summer, since it will be 80 here in Phoenix today (and has been in the mid-nineties all last week), and, au contraire, it will be 54 in Montana today, which I guess is summer weather up there. I remember putting on shorts when it got above fifty. Anyway, a few of the main activities celebrated on Beltaine were May baskets (filled with flowers and left on neighbours' door handles), the Maypole, and the bonfires. It was also a time to leap around with brooms in the field to encourage your crops to grow high.

For a lapsed Pagan such as myself, the reminder that today was Beltaine kicked a twinge in me from back when I used to celebrate festivals religiously and felt fulfilled because of it. I haven't really since I moved to Arizona, but I can't really blame myself, since there is no appropriate nature here with which to commune. The lighting of a bonfire tonight will have to be replaced with a candle. Also, Beltaine means rent is due. Damn it.

In any sense, I sucked it up and traded my baseball cap and t-shirt for appropriate pretty garb today, and put on my bling in honour of this wheel of the year that turns whether we like it or not, and reminds us that all things are constantly changing, and that that change is moderately constant.

As you can see I am boobielicious. That is not my fault; if I'm going to be wearing risqué tank tops to work, I have to wear a strapless bra so that no one is aware that I have nipples. This particular one always makes me look busty.

I'm going to try out Trader Joe's version of a punjab eggplant Tasty Bite today. I hope it's just as good as the real thing, because it's perhaps two dollars cheaper. And, if I decide that veganism isn't for me and decide to follow a mere vegetarian diet instead, there's always kashmir spinach, which makes me die of happiness. I have a thing for paneer cheese.

Part of me wonders if veganism is just a way for me, the control freak, to control my diet, much as I was trying to do with anorexia. Hmm. It's worth some thought. But I'll save that for another day.

No matter what holidays you celebrate or what holidays you ascribe to, pick a flower today (or better yet, buy one planted in a pot) and give it to the one you love- or even just someone you like.

A May Basket

cornbred — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:03:46 +0000

Here's a May Basket to all my girls—Gram, Julie, Jenna, Ali, Merry, Blake, Zoe, and to my sister, all my nieces, and the wives and daughters of all my nephews. Cousins and in-laws too. Gosh, I hope I didn't leave anyone out.

Uno de Mayo!!

Joel — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:05:59 +0000

Ok, this is a little off the beaten path, but it's May Day, so that's reason to celebrate. I don't know all the traditions surrounding it, but here's what I do know. You're supposed to make May Baskets and fill them with treats, candies, and non-mousetrap surprises. Then go to the homes of friends, family, boyfriends, and girlfriends. Set a Basket on the front step, ring the doorbell (or knock if the recipient still lives in the 70's), and run like crazy. The person getting the basket is supposed to try to catch you and, doing so, give you a kiss.

Yeah, it was probably less fun when you were 6 years old and mom made you give one to little Susie down the street. But when you were 16 and Susie was now a babe, you suddenly seemed to run a little slower than in your "younger" days.

I didn't really know how May Day got started, so I did a wee bit of research. According to some sites, it began on May 1, 1884, when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions stipulated that a legal work day comprised 8 hours. It may be true, it may not be, but it sounds good. And who cares anyways, because it's all about the candy. My favorites are Butterfingers, Heath Bars, and Cadbury Cream Eggs, so if I'm getting a May Day Basket from you...

Recommended Activity: Make a May Basket for someone (or somefew) and hand them out, but be sure you have your sneakers on. Or just give them to yourself...it's more delicious that way, plus that whole kissing thing...

May Day, May Baskets, and Maypoles!

Nadja Maril — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:44:54 +0000

We have a blackboard posted on the wall for inspirational messages at our office at What’s Up? Publishing. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door. Currently someone has inquired, “What are your favorite things about May?” The responses have included Cinco de Mayo, crabbing season, and warm weather. My entry on the board was May baskets and May Day.
My relationship with May Day goes back to elementary school. May Day was the big outdoor pageant we held every year and it was an important school tradition. Every year a theme was selected and each class performed with a song and a dance while siblings and parents watched from the folding chairs set out on the school lawn. The grand finale was the May Pole dance performed by the sixth graders. (This was back in the days before middle school and elementary school went up through sixth grade.) I would enviously watch the girls, with wreaths of flowers in their hair, dressed in pretty spring dresses, holding a piece of the maypole ribbon and weaving it in and out as they danced with their male partner around the tall pole bedecked with colored ribbons and topped with flowers. I couldn’t wait until I was in sixth grade and got to do the maypole dance. I can still hear the theme music in my head, the pianist would play on the old upright they’d wheel outside, as we proudly marched to our seats. After the pageant we’d enjoy refreshments that included peppermint sticks stuck inside of lemons, that tasted delicious and made your hands very sticky. After the picture taking, and the hugs from proud parents, we’d gather our costumes in large brown paper bags and go home, basking in the glory of our theatrical performance.
Unfortunately the theme the school picked the year I was in sixth grade focused on Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, recently sighted in Scotland. An exciting tale that included a giant prehistoric sea serpent, the Maypole dancers took the role of being the local Scottish lads and lassies. This meant that instead of wearing a pretty dress, the lassies wore drab plaid kilts as did the lads. Even less romantic then missing out on flowers in my hair was the fact that my dance partner was a girl, because we had several more girls than boys in my class.
Fast forward to my arrival in Annapolis where I encountered the tradition of May baskets
What a treat to walk downtown and feast your eyes on one after another of beautiful baskets of flowers placed on gates and doorways. I immediately had to make my own. Not that I do it the way you should, strictly with cut flowers. Most of the time, I cheat by placing a pot of geraniums or petunias in the center of the basket and then add sprigs of lilac, flowering cherry, and azalea from my garden. My short cut is of little consequence because I can’t officially enter into the yearly contest held by the Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne. I live just outside the judging area. But I also hate to see flowers die so soon and you have to be very skillfull to keep the floral foam hydrated and your cut flowers living in sunshine and warm weather for more than a few days. For information about how to make your own May Basket.
Don't have time to make a May basket of your own? You can buy one as early as 8:30 a.m. from the Four River Garden Club, in time to hang on your door before 10 a.m. when the Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne judges start making their rounds. Locally grown perennials, sweet-smelling herbs, colorful annuals, and freshly baked sweets and breads will also be sold at the Four Rivers sale set up in the downtown City Dock area.
If you have a child under 12 , encourage them to make a May Basket and it they live in the Historic District along with parts of the Murray Hill neighborhood they will receive a pink ribbon and lollipop. In order to participate in the Old Towne Garden Club contest, all basket entries must contain a name and address card and children's baskets should list age as well. Other contests and diisplay are now taking place in the neighborhoods of Eastport, Presidents Hill, West Annapolis. Take a stroll on May first and see what you find!