May Day (Beltane)

In Pre-Christian times, the first of May was known as Beltane (in Celtic tradition). It was also the Festival of Flora, named after the Roman Goddess of flowers. In many Germanic countries, including Scandanavia, Germany, Estonia and others, Walpurgis Night was celebrated with dancing and large bonfires. (For some great photos of these fires, go to Wikipedia and look up Walpurgis).

In some pagan traditions, February 2, Candlemas, was the beginning of Spring, and May the 1st was the beginning of summer. This explains why some traditions refer to the summer solstice, June 21, as "Mid summer".

In the U.S., many people participated in creating small baskets of flowers to leave on neighbor's doors anonymously. This tradition pretty much died out in the late 20th century. There was also a tradition of dancing the Maypole.

In many countries, May 1 is also celebrated as International Worker's Day or Labour Day.