May Day

May Day is really a celebration of life and my favorite festival of Spring…and as luck would have it, also my birthday :) It probably explains a lot.

Customs, decorations, dances and foods signal the changing season. During Medieval times.. May poles were the center of revelry..splendid with their crowns of ribbons, streamers, decorations and flowers. Dancers with bells on their ankles and wrists stomped the ground to awaken it..

May bells were rung to alert the sleeping fields and forests to the time of rebirth..and May baskets hung on the doors.

Sweet Woodruff..the very essence of Spring with vibrant green leaves & early sweet blossoms was steeped in Rhine wine to make the May bowl. May 1st celebrates the height of Spring & the flowering of life. The dance around the May pole represents their unity and of many friendships. Colors are the rainbow spectrum.

There are Springs and there are Springs. The almanac has an official one. Then..there is the personal Spring…the unofficial, purely personal one that comes to each of us… sometimes early, sometimes late.

For me, Spring comes when I kneel on the ground, with a trowel in my hand.. feel the sun on my back & breathe in that special earthy smell..that promises warmth and new life and creative ideas!.

Customarily a May basket was prepared by filling it with flowers and goodwill and then given to someone in need of healing and caring. So put on your prettiest garb ..go out into the yard and spread a blanket.. let the sun warm your faces & enjoy your May Day celebration. Who cares if it’s just beginning to shower. Just grab your umbrellas!

I was able to get a few good hours in this morning walking on the beach and then working in the fields.. I had to get my shallots in the ground before the showers moved in! So to celebrate May Day and my birthday tonight, some good friends and family are taking me to my fave restaurant..Roberto's where I am planning to have a really big bowl of marinated mussels and no doubt..seafood Diavolo along with a few good bottles of wine! *wink! Have a great weekend everyone!