The May Day holiday has its origins in pagan Europe. At least 2000 years ago, Romans worshipped Flora, the goddess of flowers. They celebrated with feasts, parades, plays and sporting contests.
In 1886, the May Day celebration evolved into a holiday for the working class as a result of the struggle for an eight-hour work day. In that year, the Knights of Labor called national strikes in the United States and Canada. Many countries still celebrate May Day for workers, though in the U.S., we honor American workers on Labor Day in September.
In 1947, the Veterans of Foreign Wars determined that May 1 should become Loyalty Day. A joint session of Congress later made an official proclamation designating May 1 as Loyalty Day. It was intended to encourage citizens to renounce the leftist labor movement, including the American Communist Party, and to reaffirm their loyalty to the country. It was a time in the history of our country when one of the basic freedoms our forefathers had fought for, the right of citizens to choose their own political affiliation, was not allowed without harassment. The Loyalty Day celebrations flourished during the 1950s, at the expense of traditional May Day celebrations. However, Loyalty Day celebrations dwindled during the next decade and along with it, the historic significance of May Day.
As a child growing up, our neighborhood had a tradition of exchanging May baskets with ribbons (which were representational of dancing around the Maypole). The baskets were small homemade or store bought that were filled with cookies and treats and set on friend’s porches as a surprise. To my family, May Day was the beginning of warmer weather and when my mom would plant her garden.
California in May is in full bloom.
