Today In History: May Day

No doubt they rose up early to observe
The rite of May; and, hearing our intent,
Came here in grace of our solemnity.
-- Theseus. Act IV, Scene I. The Wood. A Midsummer Night's Dream

In Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theseus is the King of Athens who is betrothed to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. In the passage above, he assumes that lovers and friends Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, woke up early to observe the rites of May, known as Maying, on May Day or May 1st. Tradition entailed ventures into the forest to gather flowers and branches for garlands to decorate the Maypole around which all would dance in celebration of Spring, youth, and happiness.

May Day had its origins in Europe and carried its rites, including games, festivals, and school pageants, to North America and other continents. At the experimental and model Lincoln School of Teachers College, Columbia University, Librarian Anne T. Eaton references May Day Stories as part of the Story Hour ("The Lincoln School Library", Teachers College Record, 1923 24:1, 1-16), while undergraduate female students in Kindergarten Education at Teachers College gathered together in formal white dresses to pose; they hold bouquets and flower baskets under a maypole constructed in celebration of the May festival.

May 1st is also known as International Workers Day, a holiday celebrated in 160 countries around the world in recognition of the rights of workers and the working classes.

Focusing the May Festival and its influences in education, the following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• May Day Festival Goes Back to Old Roman Celebration: Feast of Flora Marked by Latins as Fete of Flowers. (1921, May 01). San Francisco Chronicle (1869-1922) 
• Old English Days to be Recalled.  (1928, Apr 27). The Austin Statesman (1921-1973) 
• Haller, H. (1935, May 12). Historical Notes on May Day: Festival Celebrated Night Ago in Many Lands, Is Traced Back to Age-Old Ritual Origin of Celebration Seen in Dances in India and Egypt Marking Season of Futility. The Sun (1837-) 
• Coeds to Honor Mrs. White Hurst: Maryland University Students to PayTribute to First Woman Regent: May Day Festival Also Will Include Pageant of Historical Characters. (1937, May 16). The Sun (1837-) 
• May Day Festival Held at Seminary: Evolution of Dance Traces in Pageant, Part of Commencement Rites of her Royal Highness -- The Queen of May.  (1939, May 17). The Atlanta Constitution (1881-1945) 
• History Repeats Itself in Chevy Chase School's Tableau. (1955, May 26). The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959) 
• Teachers in Cumberland Hold May Day Festival. (1961, May 20). New Journal and Guide (1916-) 
• May Day Festival of Life. (1970, Apr 19). The Hartford Courant (1923-) 
• Trinity Street School Has May Day Festival. (1977, Jun 09). Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-) 
• May 2, 1980 (page 14). (1980, May 02). Daily World (1968-1986) 

Tips:

• Bishop, Gerald. A May-Day Interlude. [n.p.]" England, 1904. e-book
• Hallock, Grace T., ed.  May Day Festival Book--1927. New York: American Child Health Association, c1926, 1926. e-book
• May Day, or, Anecdotes of Miss Lydia Lively : Intended to Improve and Amuse the Rising Generation. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall, 1793.  Closed Stacks Juvenile ; PZ6 .M46 1793
• McElroy, Margaret J. (Margaret Julia). On a May-Day Morning Early : An Out of Door Spring Pageant : A Dramatic and Musical Program for School Grades. New York: American Book Co., 1922.  Closed Stacks Research ; PN3206 .M3423 1922
• Pollard, Alfred W. Shakespeare’s Hand in the Play of Sir Thomas More; Papers by Alfred W. Pollard, W.W. Greg, E. Maunde Thompson, J. Dover Wilson & R.W. Chambers, with the Text of the Ill May Day Scenes, Edited by W.W. Greg. England: The University Press, 1923, 1923. e-book
• The Shakespeare Tercentenary Meeting Held at the Mansion House, on May Day, MCMXVI, Together with the General Programme of Arrangements for the Tercentenary Commemoration. England: Geo. W. Jones, at “The Sign of The Dolphin”,  1916. e-book
• The Sunny Hours of Childhood : A New Story Book for Children. Philadelphia: George S. Appleton, 1848. Closed Stacks Research ; PZ6 .S85 1848

Images:

• Dancing on the Green, by Randolph Caldecott,  1881 Courtesy of The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library.
• Poster Image: Teachers College May Day Celebration, Dr. John A McVannell, Acting Chairman of Undergraduate Kindergarten Department. (May 1908), from Historical Photographs of Teachers College, Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University.

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