The May Day Bank Holiday

There is talk of abolishing May Day as a bank holiday and moving it to another date. The argument is that there are already too many bank holidays in the Spring, while at other times of the year there is a shortage.

However one of the suggested dates for its replacement is April 23^rd, St George’s Day, which is only a week earlier.

This kind of gives the game away. The abolition of May Day has less to do with practical considerations, and more to do with its historical association as a left-wing festival.

But May Day was a festival long before it was established as International Worker’s Day, and it has always caused fear and consternation in establishment circles due to its long-held association with drinking, dancing, and lewd behaviour. It was also always clearly recognised as the people’s own festival.

The puritans tried to ban it, while James I – perhaps in an attempt to gain favour with his subjects south of the border – gave it his official sanction, writing about it extensively in his famous Book of Sports.

In medieval times it was associated with Robin Hood and was often known as Robin Hood’s Day. The people would elect a Robin Hood for the season, who would go about with his Merry Men causing mayhem.

There were May Day games, and plays and jousts and archery contests. There was May Pole dancing for the girls and Morris Dancing for the boys. It was also recognised as a time when young men and women would meet outside the official confines of marriage to declare their love for each other.

Such relationships were known as Greenwood Marriages and the children born of them were especially honoured as Children of the May or Merrybegots.

All of which reminds us that the people of these Islands have a culture of their own, entirely separate from the officially sanctioned festivals of the Church and the State, which they continue to practice in their own way.

I wonder if this is the real reason for this latest attempt to abolish May Day?

You can read more about Robin Hood's Day here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Jolly-Robin-A-Medieval-Mayday-Festival