Happy May Day

May 1, 2008

After getting a bunch of “out of office” replies via email, I decided to try to find out what public holiday I was missing. Looks like it’s May Day! Not to be confused with mayday, May Day, is a holiday I haven’t celebrated in the past.

There’s no day off for May Day in the US (that I know of). I’ll have to go searching for garland, erect a May pole, find experienced May Day celebrators, and loosen up I guess because…

Apparently…

“It requires much art and experience to dance upon the May pole with the garland.”

-Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Frolicking around the office with garland is likely to get one sent home. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. What are you doing for May Day?

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  • Adam Cunningham-Reid

    Ooh, I misread the title and thought it said “Happy Man Day” and I was very surprised and intrigued. Alas, yet again, I am way off. Well, Happy May Day! I do hope you will bring out your garland and gather with your friends and family around your local May pole.

  • Adam Cunningham-Reid

    Ooh, I misread the title and thought it said “Happy Man Day” and I was very surprised and intrigued. Alas, yet again, I am way off. Well, Happy May Day! I do hope you will bring out your garland and gather with your friends and family around your local May pole.

  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com Karyn Romeis

    In South Africa, May Day is a public holiday, known as workers’ day. Supposedly to honour the contribution of the blue collar worker, which is no bad thing, I guess.

    In the UK, I’m not sure it has the same significance, but I have a feeling it might have done once upon a time. Here, it is now held on the first Monday in May, so that you get a long weekend. Most bank holidays are arranged to fall on a Monday. Very civilised.

    I’m celebrating mine by painting my younger son’s bedroom. Those hideous ragged-effect butterscotch walls have GOT to go. Ack. Gack. Ptui. Thoroughly depressing!

  • http://in-the-middle-of-the-curve.blogspot.com/ Wendy

    I’m sorry to say that I am one of the few people on the planet who dread the coming of spring. Pretty spring days usually equate to me being turned into a phlegmy, itchy mess. I pray for rain.

    Thankfully, May 1 was the first day in a long time when it was nice out and I wasn’t miserable. I celebrated by leaving work early (with the boss’ blessing, of course) and playing golf with friends.

  • http://in-the-middle-of-the-curve.blogspot.com/ Wendy

    I’m sorry to say that I am one of the few people on the planet who dread the coming of spring. Pretty spring days usually equate to me being turned into a phlegmy, itchy mess. I pray for rain.

    Thankfully, May 1 was the first day in a long time when it was nice out and I wasn’t miserable. I celebrated by leaving work early (with the boss’ blessing, of course) and playing golf with friends.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Adam – I shall draft a “Happy Man Day” post to be released at the appropriate time. Looking up “man-day” gives me this incredibly boring definition… “an industrial unit of production equal to the work one person can produce in a day.” This should not be confused with “woman-day” which must be equivalent to 2.5 “man days.” Except in your case of course, where an “Adam-day” is greater than either a single man-day or woman-day, and from my perspective, occurs in the future.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Adam – I shall draft a “Happy Man Day” post to be released at the appropriate time. Looking up “man-day” gives me this incredibly boring definition… “an industrial unit of production equal to the work one person can produce in a day.” This should not be confused with “woman-day” which must be equivalent to 2.5 “man days.” Except in your case of course, where an “Adam-day” is greater than either a single man-day or woman-day, and from my perspective, occurs in the future.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Karyn – have fun painting! Some before and after pictures are in order. Butterscotch..what the heck was someone thinking? What mood does butterscotch set?

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Karyn – have fun painting! Some before and after pictures are in order. Butterscotch..what the heck was someone thinking? What mood does butterscotch set?

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Ugh Wendy, I feel for you. Allergies really suck the fun out of spring. Of course the up side is looking like you have a cold and using that to stay away from people you don’t want to see. Hope golf was fun…but that’s silly it always is isn’t it?

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Ugh Wendy, I feel for you. Allergies really suck the fun out of spring. Of course the up side is looking like you have a cold and using that to stay away from people you don’t want to see. Hope golf was fun…but that’s silly it always is isn’t it?

  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com Karyn Romeis

    @Wendy My turn comes later in the year. I tend to get hayfever in the height of summer, when it gets so bad, I become asthmatic. I carry around about 8 different meds, all of which I use repeatedly.

    I went to see an asthma nurse last season to see if we could matters under control so that I could stop being such a druggie. I emptied my bag of medications onto her desk and said: “This is what I am currently using.” Her response? “Yeah that looks about right. Keep up with those and come back to see me next month.”

    I didn’t bother going back.

  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com/ Karyn Romeis

    @Wendy My turn comes later in the year. I tend to get hayfever in the height of summer, when it gets so bad, I become asthmatic. I carry around about 8 different meds, all of which I use repeatedly.

    I went to see an asthma nurse last season to see if we could matters under control so that I could stop being such a druggie. I emptied my bag of medications onto her desk and said: “This is what I am currently using.” Her response? “Yeah that looks about right. Keep up with those and come back to see me next month.”

    I didn’t bother going back.

  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com/ Cathy Moore

    Normally on May Day I would get up at 5 am so I could join the Morris dancers who dance at dawn for reasons that may be related to pagan spring celebrations, or that could be just a nineteenth-century fabrication. But I slept in. Morris dancers around the world carried on without me.

  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com Cathy Moore

    Normally on May Day I would get up at 5 am so I could join the Morris dancers who dance at dawn for reasons that may be related to pagan spring celebrations, or that could be just a nineteenth-century fabrication. But I slept in. Morris dancers around the world carried on without me.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Very impressive Cathy. A pagan spring celebration is something I would consider getting up for at 5 AM. Do they have bloody mary’s or anything like that? If not, I’d probably just sleep in.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Very impressive Cathy. A pagan spring celebration is something I would consider getting up for at 5 AM. Do they have bloody mary’s or anything like that? If not, I’d probably just sleep in.

  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com/ Cathy Moore

    Unfortunately, no bloody Marys. Just poppyseed cake, which you eat if you want to ensure your fertility. I pass on the cake.

  • http://blog.cathy-moore.com Cathy Moore

    Unfortunately, no bloody Marys. Just poppyseed cake, which you eat if you want to ensure your fertility. I pass on the cake.

  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com/ Karyn Romeis

    In South Africa, May Day is a public holiday, known as workers' day. Supposedly to honour the contribution of the blue collar worker, which is no bad thing, I guess.

    In the UK, I'm not sure it has the same significance, but I have a feeling it might have done once upon a time. Here, it is now held on the first Monday in May, so that you get a long weekend. Most bank holidays are arranged to fall on a Monday. Very civilised.

    I'm celebrating mine by painting my younger son's bedroom. Those hideous ragged-effect butterscotch walls have GOT to go. Ack. Gack. Ptui. Thoroughly depressing!

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