What are the origins of May Day celebrations?
May Day has its origins in pre-Christian Spring and fertility (for the crop) rituals. In modern cultures, May Day is more prevalent as a “Labor Day” or worker’s day. According to Wikipedia: “May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day. May 1 was a traditional springtime holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures, and many elements of these holidays are still celebrated on May 1 today, such as the Maypole. “May Day” also refers to various socialist and labor movement celebrations conducted on May 1, unrelated to the traditional celebrations to commemorate the Haymarket Riot of 1886 and the international socialist movement generally. The latter event is an important holiday in Communist countries and Waldorf Schools. The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries. Although the pagan-oriented celebrations faded as Europe became Chris
