When I was little, May was my second favorite month, because four important events occurred — May Day, my birthday, Mother’s Day, and at school we got to crown Mary, Queen of the May.
My sisters and I loved to make baskets of colored paper (or just plain paper we colored with crayons), fill them with flowers we picked, and hang them on our neighbors’ doors. Although there were lots of children in our neighborhood in the 50s, there were also many older couples, and they were the main recipients of our little baskets.
At school we had a sort of mini May Queen celebration in our classroom, the highlight of which was the crowning ceremony. Our teacher (usually a nun in those days) would line up the girls and boys according to height — shortest in the front. The shortest girl got to crown the statue of Mary, and that was always either me or my best friend, Linda Harmon. Linda and I were constantly checking to see who would be the shortest in a particular year. I actually grew up thinking it was wonderful to be short — you not only got to do the May Queen thing, but you also got to be the first in line for every procession, and there were a lot more opportunities for processions than you might imagine. I wanted to include a maypole in our celebration, but we never did — they probably thought it was a pagan ritual.
P.S. Jane’s comment below made me think about the tall girls in our class who had no hope of ever crowning the May Queen. I don’t remember any controversy about this, and I know I just accepted it — probably nobody thought to question the nuns. I like to think now that those girls realized all the time that it’s really much cooler to be tall.
Big Big Paint Book
Whitman Publishing, 1936
Happy Birthday to you!
My childhood experience with Crowning Mary was quite different.
Our class would vote on who should crown Mary. One year, I was chosen, and the nun told me that I couldn’t be the one to crown Mary because I was too dark with my olive colored skin and brown hair, so she chose my friend, Jill, who was blonde and blue-eyed. Much later, I realized that Mary was the same coloring as me!!
I recovered, of course from this prejudice, and celebrate May Day with the same baskets on the doorknobs of our neighbors.
Oh my goodness, Martha. I love May too..the real spring breezes in, my son’s birthday, and yes, I have fond memories of the honoring of Mary. I was the little girl to carry the crown when I was in first grade. For me, it was challenging as I was a very shy child. But we also did little ceremonies in our classrooms each day and I liked taking in a floral wreath for the statue. We lived in a levittown sort of development and didn’t do the may basket thing…didn’t really have older people either. But you sure bring back memories. Thanks!
Hugs, Mickie
I was thinking about the May baskets today, too! I remember putting lilac blooms in them, but the lilacs are too late for May day, these days, or maybe my memory is faulty. We made baskets from berry baskets and doily cones. No crowning of Mary, though. That tradition is not familiar to me…
No May Queen for us, either – although I do remember an elementary school performance that featured a maypole dance, and it was an abject disaster. Instead of neatly woven streamers they were just kind of a tangled mess. (Bet you didn’t know about all of the trauma associated with May Day, did you?) May is one of my favorite months, too, especially because it’s the month of my girl’s birthday.
Martha, you’re a May baby – how exciting! The month of flowers. Which day is your birthday? We never did anything special for May Day, I was always jealous of the kids I read about in books who did. Good thing I wasn’t in your class, I was always the tallest. I wanted so badly to be petite!
Lovely pics – look like the books I used to read!
I am realy happy to find you……..all these pattern for redwork….
thank you so much and a lot of
kisses from france
xxxx
cathy
May is my favorite month as well, for the very same reasons! My hubby and one of my sons were both May babies as well, and we also usually finish up with school by then and are ready to start enjoying summer. 🙂