Traditions in month of May 

The month of May has many traditions. Spring is in full swing, nature is a great inspiration, the weather in the northern hemisphere is nicer and more stable.
On the first of May, the woman is to be kissed under a flowering tree, otherwise she will dry within a year. Yes, the woman. Maybe the tree as well ?
But don't despair, you can catch up in the next few days, a kiss under a blossoming cherry or apple tree will always please and enliven.
From Wikipedia:
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
Sometimes the erection of a maypole is associated with great feasting and celebration with dancing.

Maypole  is the designation of an ornate tree trunk that forms a central element of the spring festivities spread throughout most of Europe. The maypole is most often built on April 30 or May 1, but in some areas it is built during the feast of St. George, Pentecost or most often the summer solstice. Mayas = maypoles  are traditionally renewed every year, this was also the case in the original form of the festivities, but somewhere they change over time, for example in England or Bavaria. In some cases the maypole is a permanent feature that is only utilised during the festival, although in other cases it is erected specifically for the purpose before being taken down again.

Origin

Primarily found within the nations of Germanic Europe and the neighbouring areas which they have influenced, its origins remain unknown. It has often been speculated that the maypole originally had some importance in the Germanic paganism of Iron Age and early Medieval cultures, and that the tradition survived Christianisation, albeit losing any original meaning that it had. It has been a recorded practice in many parts of Europe throughout the Medieval and Early Modern periods, although it became less popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The symbolism of the maypole has been continuously debated by folklorists for centuries, although no definitive answer has been found.
The Czech maypole (máj, májka in Czech language) has the form of a whole tree, deprived – with the exception of the upper part – of branches and bark. In some cases, the bare trunk is left to stand for several years and only the upper part is changed, in other cases it consists of two or three interconnected trunks to achieve greater height. The tree used is most often conifers such as spruce, but you can also find a birch lighthouse. The upper part is decorated with ribbons made of fabric or crepe paper and a decorated wreath is hung on it. The building of May is associated with the habit of its night guard, according to customs, it is usually until sunrise or the first rooster crowing, in front of men from neighboring villages who are trying to beat it or cut off its top. If they succeed, it is a great disgrace for the village.

Celebrating also with folklore dancing, South Moravia

   Ickwell maypole
 

Poet Jonathan Swift in his poem "A Maypole" describes a maypole as:

Deprived of root, and branch, and rind,
Yet flowers I bear of every kind:
And such is my prolific power,
They bloom in less than half an hour;

 

May you happy stay

the whole month of May 

Margaret
 

Tim Moseley