Happy May Day to all our Pet Talk friends!!!

[purrley]

IT'S MAY, IT'S MAY, THE LUSTY MONTH OF MAY.
EVERYONE HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE NEWNESS OF IT ALL!!!!

AND ALL YOUS OUT THERE WITH UN-SPAYED BABIES - HOPE YA GOT BABY FEVER

[momoffuzzyfaces]

HAPPY MAY DAY!!!
Spring is here soon to melt into summer, a time of picnics, sun, and fun. No worring about water pipes freezing, falling on ice and breaking something, or homeless animals shivering in the cold. (At least in our section of the world)Yeah!! May!!!

[Crikit]

I'm confused now...just what is Mayday...besides being the first of may. I'm really confused, really really.

Oh well whatever it is...HAPPY MAYDAY!

[AmberLee]

Different cultures have different customs. I have a very dear friend who was raised to celebrate May Day by making baskets of wild flowers and surprising friends and loved ones in the early morning with mystery gifts of them. I just got nostolgic (sp?) for my friend Jane when I realized it was a few hours before May Day and since I couldn't sneak around and leave baskets of flowers on your doorknobs ... I made a wish instead. {How lame this sounds! Oh well, the intention was good. }

[anna_66]

Oh, I always loved Mayday when I was in school. We would make little baskets with candy and flowers and take them to all our friends houses. It really was fun!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Ok, got a question? What's the significance of May day?
I have never heard of it.

[Ann]

DoggiesAreTheBest: In Sweden the festival is a (pagan) rite to honor the return of Spring. Here, the important part is the eve of the last day in April, where we make make big bonfires (preferably on a lake) and greet the spring with a lot of singing. The last day in April is called "Valborgs(mässoafton)", Valborg is the Scandinavian name for the Catholic saint Walpurgis who was/is belived to be the patron of witches (this is of course not certified by the church). Her day is the first of May and, like I said, Walpurgis night is the night before May first on which nature was suppossed to be potent.

EDIT: Ooops, I didn't see your post until I posted Spencer, sorry! I hope you don't think I didn't value your post, because that's not the case. BTW, I had no clue it was Jean d'Arc's (I wonder why her name is different in English...) birthday, so thanks for letting me know that. We learn something new everyday

[squills]

It is not Jeanne d'Arc's birthday that is celebrated, it is her defense of France against invading forces that is celebrated on May 1.

Here's a good place to start your research on May Day, if you are so inclined!

http://salmonriver.com/words/nancy/maia.html

[Crikit]

Oh so that's what mayday is, makes everything a little clearer now, I guess it's not celebrated in Canada or at least Alberta because I've never heard it mentioned here, here it's just the first of May, the only holiday we celebrate in may is Victoria day.

[lynnestankard]

When I was a little girl (eons ago) at school we would dance round the Maypole and the nature of the dance would weave the ribbons round the pole in pretty patterns. We would have a Queen of the May and she would wear a long dress and a long train with flowers in her hair. As far as us little ones were concerned it was a lovely different school day!!
Over here 1st May was always looked upon as the first day of Spring.
Years ago - yes before I was born!! - young girls would go out at dawn on May Day and wash their face in the morning dew - if I remember history lessons properly, this was supposed to make them attractive to members of the opposite sex!
Young people would go out into the forests collecting boughs of young green trees - this was called 'Maying' then the whole day turned into a sort of village picnic and celebration. The young people would drift back into the woods and forests..............
Lots of babies were born in February!!!
And like Sweden early celebrations were Pagan - a sense that winter was over and the land was warming again as the sun rose higher.
Sorry I've gone on a bit!!

Lynne