Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published May 1, 2002

Did you get a May Day basket?

Did you find a May basket filled with spring blossoms on your door this morning? In October little costumed people come to your door asking for treats, but on the first day of May the reverse happens. The doorbell rings or there is a knock at the door, but when you answer there is no one there. Instead there is a pretty little gift hanging on the door knob. This custom was almost forgotten for a long time but this spring several magazines have featured articles encouraging its revival.

May Day baskets are a celebration of spring but on the other hand - isn't there always an "on the other hand"? - May Day has a more ominous meaning. It is the international radio-telephone signal used by aircraft and ships in distress. The term is a phonetic rendering of the French phrase m'aider which translated means "help me."

Although these two examples of May Day seem opposites, they really are not that disconnected if you put an optimistic spin on them. The act of putting a May basket together and delivering it anonymously is teaching a youngster that giving is superior to receiving. For the recipient of the gift, the act makes his or her day happier, so both parties have been helped.

Another May tradition, that of winding the Maypole, is seldom enjoyed today. That cannot be said of Portales, a small town in eastern New Mexico. For 73 years winding the Maypole has been part of an annual magical night for high school seniors and their families. It was introduced in 1929 by a teacher who had moved to Portales from Missouri.

In those first years, senior classes were small and one Maypole served well. It was decorated with long paper streamers. Only the girls danced because dancing with a boy was strictly prohibited. Now two Maypoles stand on the gymnasium floor. Both are draped with long satin streamers as the celebration of Class Night begins.

The senior prom immediately follows, so the couples are dressed in their evening clothes. The girls are in ballroom gowns and their arms are covered in long white gloves. Their escorts are dressed in tails. The couples began practicing in March for this evening. For two hours twice a week they learned their dance steps in the 10-week sessions.

On the special night, the couples dance to their designated place around the pole. Then the boy steps back and the girls continue dancing as they weave the ribbons over and under each other until the pole is perfectly braided. Then the girls drop their ribbons and the boys step forward for the final dance. Many families watching the performance have memories of when they were part of this tradition.

For this memorable event, the girls choose their escort and most have made that choice as early as junior high. It is believed that Portales High School is the only school in the country that has followed the Maypole tradition continuously for 73 years.

If you did not find a May basket on your door, you can still pick some wildflowers just for you and look forward to 31 more May days.

· · ·
Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.