May Day!

By: 
Wade Young

The celebration of May has been a Czech tradition for centuries, but for Montgomery the May Day celebration is only two years old. But what a celebration it was!  

 

Perfect weather, Czech beer, pasteries, food, a maypole and a ribbon dance were few of the many things for the people who attended Montgomery’s second annual May Day festival on Saturday.

 

Although in its infancy, Montgomery’s celebration had many of the traditional Czech customs. One included the cutting of a tall tree where the top is kept intact but the bottom branches removed and the trunk smoothed. The trunk was then decorated with a wreath, scarves, ribbons and flowers. 

 

According to tradition, the Maypole is erected in the village square (This was done in Montgomery during the celebration at Heritage Park) and guarded over night from men who visit neighboring villages, in secret, to steal their maypoles (Ours was not under threat and didn’t need guarding.)

 

See more in the print edition.

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