Celebrating May Day: A Whirl of Ribbons, Tea, and A Basket of Blooms

Every May 1st, the world seems to hold its breath—and then exhale in blossoms and birdsong. May Day, once widely celebrated with flowers, laughter, and dances under ribbons of color, has slowly faded from the spotlight. But some of us remember—or cherish the memory of—its simple, heartfelt joy.

I have a black and white photograph of my grandmother and her sisters when they were children standing proudly with their flower filled May Day baskets. You can almost hear their laughter as they tiptoed up to neighbor's doorsteps to hang their gifts and quickly run away.

“Such a twanging of bells and rapping of knockers… such laughing, whistling, flying about of flowers and friendly feeling - it was almost a pity that May-day did not come oftener.” -  Louisa May Alcott in Jack and Jill (1880)

While the world may have moved on from this tradition, stories and snapshots from across the decades remind us just how treasured it once was. It’s a tradition worth remembering—and reviving.

In the early 20th century, children would craft May baskets from wallpaper samples, milk cartons, or paper doilies. In places like Dunkirk, NY, and Humboldt, IA, it was a family event filled with as much anticipation as Christmas. Treats might include popcorn, homemade fudge, or garden flowers. In some communities, baskets left in May would reappear at Halloween as a sweet return gesture.

And of course, there were the Maypole dances. Little girls in white dresses and flower crowns circled the pole with long ribbons, weaving spring’s beauty into braids of color. These scenes live on in places like Natchez, Mississippi, where the Spring Pilgrimage still includes this joyful tradition.

After the baskets were delivered and the dancing done, many families gathered for a May Day tea party. Lacy tablecloths, rose china, and violets in glass vases adorned backyard tables. Mothers poured tea—sometimes floral or fruity—and served dainty cakes and strawberry tarts.

It was a day not just for celebrating the season, but for celebrating kindness and community.

This May Day, why not host your own spring tea party? Fill a basket with garden blooms for a neighbor, tie ribbons in the trees, and let the children twirl barefoot on the lawn. Brew your favorite tea, invite a friend, and share in the forgotten magic of this beautiful, blossoming tradition.

Happy May Day, dear friends. 🌸🌿

How to Make a May Basket (Just Like Grandma Did)

Making a May basket can be wonderfully simple:

• Paper cone or plate: Roll colored paper into a cone or use a paper plate folded and stapled. Decorate with spring colors, lace, or stickers.

• Fill it with joy: Wildflowers, candies, seed packets, homemade cookies, or pretty trinkets.

• Make it meaningful: Add a handwritten note or poem.

• No basket? No problem! Try covering a cleaned milk carton or seed pot with colored paper or streamers.

The joy is in the giving — quietly leaving it on someone’s doorstep and running away with a smile.

10 Ways to Celebrate May 1st Reviving Long Lost Traditions

Why not welcome May 1st with a few old-fashioned delights?

1. Sprinkle your face with morning dew — said to beautify the skin and bring good luck.

2. Go barefoot for the first time this spring!

3. Bring flowering branches inside — redbud, lilac, forsythia.

4. Make a May bush or ribbon tree like they do in Ireland.

5. Try your hand at beekeeping — traditionally, bees were moved on May 1.

6. Drop a line — May Day was a lucky fishing day!

7. Plant something — cucumbers, turnips, or flowers. (Some folklore says to plant cucumbers on May 1… in the nude!)

8. Make a Hawaiian lei in honor of Lei Day, celebrated in Hawaii on May 1.

9. Dance around a Maypole — gather friends or little ones, attach ribbons to a tall pole, and dance in a circle.

10. Craft a May basket with your children or grandchildren and share the tradition.