Mayday, Mayday….it’s May Day!

Isn’t it interesting how one word or phrase can be said and depending on who is hearing it, mean two completely different things?  If you asked a random group of people what they think of when they hear the words May Day you will get very different responses that  will often run along gender lines.

Women will usually respond to the question of what comes to mind by saying that they think of beautiful young girls, dancing around a May pole vying for the title, “Queen of the May”, sweetly smelling luscious flowers, and the beginning of summer.  May Day has been celebrated for years – in fact, in Europe,  it dates back to pre-Christian times.  It is an uplifting time of celebration and, in many countries, is a holiday.  One lovely tradition for celebrating May Day in America is to place a May basket or flower cone at a neighbor or friend’s door.  (Follow the flower cone link to find simple instructions for making this May Day treat.)  Who wouldn’t love to be surprised with such a treat!

Now, ask a man what he thinks of when hearing May Day and he will probably tell you he thinks of danger, or someone who is in trouble and needing assistance.  May Day denotes something completely different, to some people.  When used in a crisis, it is a distress signal, and used only by someone who is severely in need of help.  It is derived from the French  “m’aidez” which means in English, “help me”.  The French pronunciation of “m’aidez” sounds exactly like “mayday” in English and, so, this is how it came about.

On this May Day, we hope you are not experiencing any sort of distress, but will be giving or receiving flowers and no matter what else you are doing that you will know great love, joy and much abundant living!