Today is: May Day

May Day is a spring holiday in many cultures, and a national holiday in many European countries. It stemmed from ancient celebrations which included Floralia, a Roman festival honoring the flower goddess Flora; Walpurgis Night, which was celebrated by Germanic countries; Beltane, a Gaelic holiday; and Anthesteria, a Greek festival. In some European pagan cultures, it was seen as the first day of summer, while the summer solstice was celebrated as Midsummer. Celebrants would get up early and gather flowers and branches with which to decorate their houses.

As Europe became more Christianized, May Day became more of a secular celebration. It eventually spread to North America as well. Celebrations have included dancing around a maypole and crowning a May Queen.

Source: Checkiday.com

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Today is: May Day