From dancing around the Maypole to special foods eaten on this day, there are many fun and exciting traditions to celebrate this springtime holiday. Learn about some of the most popular May Day traditions from different countries and cultures below.
What do you typically do on May Day? Celebrate May Day with a May Day tradition, such as a traditional dance around the maypole. Or try the other fun May Day celebration ideas on the list below! Also known as Beltane, May Day is on May 1 and is traditionally a time to celebrate spring, the freshly sprouting seeds, and the beautiful landscape. It’s a holiday rich in tradition and rooted in agriculture celebrated for thousands of years. First published in April 2022, this list of fun things to do on May Day is regularly updated and republished to improve the content.
May Day is a celebration of spring and the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. On the first of May, colorful, fragrant flowers bloom everywhere. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and life is fresh and filled with new hope. Whether you enjoy May Day traditions like gifting loved ones baskets of flowers or leis, dancing around the maypole, or prefer something more low-key. There’s no wrong way to celebrate May Day. Here are 21 May Day celebration ideas to get you started. The list includes fun ways to celebrate May Day with kids. You might also enjoy this list of fun spring activities for kids and adults.
What is May Day?
May Day is a holiday celebrated on the first of May (May Day Eve or May 1), with various historical and cultural significance worldwide. Overall, May Day represents a blend of cultural, historical, and seasonal traditions, ranging from springtime festivals to labor rights activism, depending on the context and region of the celebration.
Also known as Lei Day in Hawaii, or Beltane in many Northern European contries, May Day is one of the cross-quarter days, or midpoint sabbat festivals, that fall between the spring equinox and the summer solstice within the Wheel of the Year. On May Day, people commonly celebrate the return of spring and the first signs of the beginning of summer. It’s a time to celebrate the good fortune that the increased sunlight and warmer weather will bring.
In some cultures, May Day has ancient roots as a fertility festival, celebrating the renewal of life and the beginning of the growing season. These festivals often involve rituals, ceremonies, and customs to ensure a successful harvest and fertility for crops, livestock, and people. Beltane, a Gaelic festival marking the start of summer, began as one of these types of spring or early summer fertility festivals.
Like several other holidays that occur throughout the changing seasons within the Wheel of the Year, most of the May Day traditions celebrated today began in the early days of agriculture. The similarity of May Day celebrations around the globe is a testament to our shared human experience worldwide and deep connection to nature across cultures, time, and space regardless of religion or race.
What is Beltane?
Beltane, also on May 1st, is a traditional Gaelic festival celebrating the onset of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This ancient earth-based pagan celebration occurs halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. As such, it is one of the four Gaelic cross-quarter seasonal fire festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh.
The name “Beltane” likely originates from the Old Irish words “Bel” (meaning bright or lucky) and “taine” (meaning fire). Beltane was historically a significant event in Celtic cultures, marking the transition from the darker half of the year to the lighter half.
Like a few other May Day traditions around the world, Beltane is associated with fertility, growth, and the fresh blossoming of spring. It’s a time to celebrate the Earth’s abundance and the assurance of warmer months ahead. The land is fertile, life is abundant, and young adults celebrate with a traditional Maypole dance.
Traditionally, people would also light bonfires to symbolize the sun’s strength, power, and ability to nurture the land and all beings on Earth. In ancient times, people lit bonfires and performed rituals to protect their crops, livestock, and homes and ensure fertility for the land and community. For example, cattle were often driven between ritual Beltane bonfires to purify and protect them. People would also leap over the flames to bring luck and good fortune and to promote fertility.
In modern times, Beltane is celebrated by various individuals and groups, including neo-pagan and Wiccan communities. Celebrations often include traditional Beltane rituals, such as feasting, singing and dancing, community gatherings around a bonfire, and other seasonal festivities that honor the Earth’s fertility, the springtime, and the coming of summer. Like most other May Day festivals and celebrations, it’s a time to connect with nature, celebrate life, and welcome the warmer months ahead.
How do you celebrate May Day, Lei Day, or Beltane?
May Day, Lei Day, and Beltane are joyful springtime celebrations, each with unique cultural practices and festive traditions. Many cultures worldwide celebrate May Day, Lei Day, and Beltane on the first of May. Unless, of course, they live in the Southern Hemisphere, where similar springtime May Day and Beltane celebrations occur on October 31 and November 1. Either way, people worldwide welcome spring’s arrival with their own festive traditions, such as dancing around the Maypole, crowning a May Queen, gathering flowers, and lighting bonfires.
May Day is celebrated primarily in Europe and North America because, on May 1, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the height of spring in anticipation of the warmer summer months ahead, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences autumn, fall, and the early beginnings of winter. There are traditional Samhain rituals performed at that time of year, but there are no flowers, and it’s not a spring celebration like May Day or Lei Day.
However, there are spring celebrations like May Day that occur during the spring and early summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. These spring celebrations in the Southern Hemisphere have many of the same traditions, including community gatherings, feasting, singing, dancing, and other outdoor activities similar to May Day celebrations in the Northern Hemisphere.
For example, Beltane is celebrated on October 31 in the Southern Hemisphere, while May Day, the climax of spring, is celebrated on November 1st instead of May 1st. Use the ideas below to celebrate May Day, Lei Day, or Beltane alone or with your kids, family, friends, students, school, or community. Or find inspiration to create your own mid-spring celebration no matter what time of the year you welcome spring.
21 May Day Celebration Ideas from Around the World
Some of the most common May Day traditions include dancing around the maypole, crowning a May Queen, making flower crafts, and giving flowers to loved ones. Here are instructions for those May Day Celebration ideas, along with several more fun things to do for May Day.
1. Wash your Face and Hands in the Morning Dew:
Go outside in the early morning hours on the first of May (and the following days) to wash your face in the morning dew. An old Irish saying tells it like so, “The plainest girl will be beautiful if she rises early on May Day and bathes her face in the morning dew at sunrise.” Washing hands and walking barefoot in the morning dew were also said to bring many positive benefits. The morning Dew was believed to cure ills and deliver many benefits. Especially if the person dared to roll naked in it, so give it a try! What have you got to lose?
2. Kick Off Your Shoes and Go Barefoot:
May Day marks the time of year when many children get to go barefoot for the first time. Even adults would take their shoes off longer than just a walk in the morning dew after May first. So kick off your shoes, allow your feet to connect directly with the ground they tread upon, and root your spirit deeply into the Earth this May Day.
3. Dancing Around the Maypole for Beltaine:
May Day is celebrated worldwide, and one of the most common and popular traditions is dancing around the maypole. This classic springtime tradition began as a Beltane pagan fertility ritual, but it has become a staple of May Day celebrations (and Mid-Summer Solstice celebrations) in many countries worldwide. The Maypole dance symbolizes fertility and the union of male and female energy.
Set up a Maypole in your yard or community space and decorate it with colorful ribbons and flowers to share in the joy of this traditional May Day dance. If you’re unfamiliar, a maypole is a tall pole with bright colorful ribbons or streamers attached to the top. Participants, traditionally young girls and boys or men and women dressed in pure white, each hold a ribbon as they dance around the pole, weaving the ribbons over and under each other to create an intricate and beautiful pattern.
They weave the ribbons in and out as they dance around the maypole. The Maypole’s brightly colored ribbons represent the lengthening days as summer approaches. As Maypole dancers continue to weave in and out among each other, the Maypole dance creates a multi-colored pattern that creeps steadily down the pole. But like a Tibetian mandala, this artistic wrapping of the Maypole is not meant to last. Once the ribbons are wrapped to the bottom, the dancers reverse their steps and undo them.
When you don’t have a maypole handy, you can easily make one using a pole or broomstick. Tie streamers or ribbons of different colors around the pole, then have everyone take hold of a ribbon and dance around it in a circle. Weave the ribbons in and out to create a pretty pattern as you dance, as shown in the photograph of the Maypole below.
4. Make Spring Flower Crowns:
Make flower crowns to wear as a part of your May Day celebrations. Flower crowns are traditional attire for children coming of age dancing around the Maypole, but they look gorgeous on kids and adults at any spring (or summer) festival. There are several easy ways to make a flower crown with fresh or faux flowers. Click the link to learn how to make a flower crown with faux flowers. Or make them with paper using our printable templates. And if you’d rather use fresh flowers, look at this list of fresh flower crafts where we have a few gorgeous flower DIY crown tutorials that make celebrating this May Day Tradition easy.
5. Celebrate Lei Day on May Day!:
In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day! Attend or organize a small or large Lei Day celebration with hula dancing, Hawaiian music, and lei-making. I loved celebrating Lei Day when I lived on the island of Kauai as a young adult. Lei Day is a beautiful celebration of Hawaiian culture and the spirit of Aloha on the first of May. A May King and Queen are selected to represent each Hawaiian island, schools put on plays, and people come together to dance the luau in parks and other communities to celebrate May Day.
On Lei Day, children and adults make and gift fresh flower leis to close family, relatives, friends, teachers, classmates, neighbors, and community members to celebrate spring. Wear a lei yourself and gift one to others to spread the aloha spirit on Lei Day. In addition to fresh flowers, you can use leaves, nuts, paper, and fabric to make a flower lei necklace. For example, another fun idea is to make and give felt flower lei necklaces.
A famous song and luau dance is also performed in the Hawaiian Islands to celebrate Lei Day on May Day. Here are a few of the lyrics, but be warned, they are catchy and will get stuck in your head (especially if you play the video below): “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii, garlands of flowers everywhere, all of the colors in the rainbow, maidens with blossoms in their hair.”
You can see the “May Day is Lei Day” song and luau dance performed by members of the global Hula ʻOhana at the Lei Day Hōʻike and hear the rest of the lyrics in the video below. Learn more about Lei Day and its history–> HERE.
6. Give Flowers to Your Loved Ones:
One of the most enduring May Day traditions is giving flowers to your loved ones. Gifting flowers is a popular May Day tradition in many countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy. If you want to stick with tradition, choose a flower type traditionally associated with May Day.
In the United States, that flower is the lily of the valley. In France, it’s the Hawthorne blossom; in Italy, it’s the Margherita daisies. And, on the Islands of Hawaii, fresh flower leis are traditionally made, given, and worn around the neck on May Day. Other traditional May Day flowers perfect for a May Day bouquet include tulips, daffodils, lilacs, hyacinths, peonies, violets, forsythia, magnolia, and redbud.
But if you are not a stickler for tradition, any flower will make a great gift for celebrating May Day. Whatever type of flower you choose, giving it to your loved ones is a simple way to show them how much you care. Plus, it’s a great way to enjoy the beauty of springtime at the onset of summer.
7. Make May Day Baskets:
Another popular May Day tradition is making May Day baskets. This May Day tradition is common in many European countries, particularly Germany and Switzerland. It’s also becoming popular in the United States, where people often fill these baskets with flowers and other small gifts.
Making May Day baskets is a great way to express your creativity and a lot of fun for kids and adults. This is an excellent option if you’re looking for a fun spring tradition for kids and adults of all ages to enjoy. You only need paper (or a small vase or recycled container), scissors, glue, and flowers.
You can craft a simple flower basket for May Day in several ways. Let your creativity run wild as you make a May Day basket to place flowers in, or use the how-to directions below. Scroll down for one example of how Waldorf teachers show children how to make a May Day flower basket. Another idea is to put flowers in a small vase with a colorful ribbon tied around the neck. Or fashion your May Day baskets any way you wish!
How to make a May Day basket:
- Tie 3-5 colorful ribbons, each about 12 to 15 inches long, together at one end to create a large knot with ribbons hanging from it. (optional)
- Roll up a wet-on-wet watercolor painting (or use white, colored, or decorated cardstock) and glue or staple the paper together in a cone-like shape with the knot inside and the ribbons hanging out the bottom. (Again, ribbons are optional.)
- The photographs below show how to make this type of rolled-up paper May Day basket with flowers (with or without ribbons hanging from the bottom).
- Next, make a finger-knit handle. Or create a simple handle with ribbons.
- Then, staple, glue, or punch a hole and tie the handle to the inside of the cone-shaped paper flower basket.
- Finally, put flowers inside a baggie with water to keep them fresh, and viola—you’ll have a sweet May Basket full of fresh flowers to hang on a doorknob like the one in the photograph below.
- Note: when you put flowers in these paper cone May Day flower baskets, they are top-heavy. Carry them around in another basket or container to hold them, and hang them on doorknobs so they stay upright as shown in the photo collage below.
8. Deliver May Day Baskets:
To try this May Day tradition, make small baskets filled with spring flowers and leave them on your neighbor’s doorsteps to spread cheer. This is often done anonymously to add an element of surprise and delight. First, make flower baskets or vases to gift to teachers, neighbors, lovers, moms, dads, family, and friends for May Day.
Next, invite the kids to deliver May Day baskets to family, friends, and neighbors. Or, go on a secret delivery mission yourself! Hanging them on neighbor’s doorknobs or your lover’s or BBF’s office door or dropping them off on the doorsteps of friends, family, and relatives is a fun way to send springtime greetings to those who live near you. Or plan to have flowers sent near and wide to appear on doorsteps to bring May Day cheer anywhere it’s needed. Delivering May Day flower baskets is a lovely way to say “Happy Spring” to neighbors, family, and friends. Children love this fun May Day tradition!
At the Waldorf school my daughter attended for kindergarten, it’s traditional for kindergarteners to visit retirement communities and nursing homes to deliver flowers and sing spring songs to bring the spirit of spring into the hearts of the aging community. Sometimes, they also visit the homes of neighbors who live close to the school. On the first of May, deliver May Day flower baskets to your neighbors or your local retirement home.
9. Bring in the May: Decorate Your Home with Fresh Flowers and Flower Crafts:
Another May Day tradition is “Bringing in the May.” Decorate your home with greenery and seasonal flowers for Beltane or May Day. First, bring May into your home, workplace, or classroom by gathering cuttings of flowering trees. Next, use fresh flowers and cuttings to weave flower garlands, wreaths, and other fresh flower crafts!
May Day is the perfect time to decorate your front door, home, and even your livestock (or pets) with fresh flowers. Invite children to gather wildflowers and flowers from your backyard or garden, or grab some fresh flowers from your local florist to fill your house with the scent of spring flowers.
“Bringing in the May” is common in many European countries, such as Britain (England), Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. Decorating with flowers for May Day is also popular in the United States, where people often hang flower wreaths or garlands on or around their front doors.
If you want to decorate your home for May Day, try using flowers traditionally associated with May Day, such as lilies of the valley, Hawthorne blossoms, or Margherita daisies. Or, decorate with birch branches and yellow flowers like marigolds if you want to use traditional flowers for Beltane. Scroll down to see a list of a few easy flower craft ideas you can make to celebrate May Day.
10. Make Flower Crafts In Celebration of May Day:
Get creative with flower decorations and flower crafts with any of the great ideas on the list below. Making flower crafts is a fun May Day tradition and a great way to celebrate May Day with kids. Once finished, feel free to use them to decorate your home.
Make a May Day wreath for your front door, or weave a beautiful May Day garland to decorate the inside of your home. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try your hand at making a maypole or a maypole craft. Traditionally, fresh flowers are used to make crafts on May Day, but making flower crafts with felt or paper can also be fun. Here’s a list of Flower arts and crafts you can try at home or in the classroom:
- Fresh Flower Nature Crafts (photo below)
- How to Make a Flower Crown
- Felt Flowers on Twig Stems
- How to Make a Felt Flower Lei Necklace
- Flower Art Projects, Crafts, and Painting Ideas
- Shell Daisy Craft
- Fresh Flower Suncatcher Crafts
- Fingerprint Flower Glass Magnets
- How to Make Fingerprint Flower Necklaces and Keychains
- Fingerprint Flower Candle Holders
11. Plant Spring Flowers in your Yard or Garden:
If you haven’t already done so, May Day is an excellent time of year to plant spring flowers around your home and garden. So head to your local nursery to pick up some flowers or seed pack trays, and invite children and other family and friends to join you. And, if you need a little help, here’s a beginning gardening tutorial that makes it easy to plant flowers organically in your yard or garden with or without children.
12. Fly a Kite to Celebrate May Day:
Flying a kite is a popular May Day tradition in many countries, including the United States, China, and India. If you want to join the fun, you only need a kite and wind. Then, let your kite soar high into the sky. Learn how to make a kit, fly a kite, and keep everyone safe and happy in How to Fly a Kite.
Flying a kite is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise. Plus, it’s a lot of fun for the kids to do. So, if you’re looking for May Day celebration ideas from around the world that everyone can enjoy, flying a kite is a great option.
13. Play May Day Games:
Another popular May Day tradition is playing games. Playing May Day games is common on May 1 in many European countries, particularly Germany and Switzerland. Games are also popular in the United States, where people often play them at May Day celebrations. Enjoy a few May Day games for Beltane.
One popular game for children is the Maypole Dance. This game involves dancing around a Maypole while holding onto ribbons or streamers attached to the top of the pole as described above. Another popular game is a May Day Basket hunt, similar to Easter egg hunts. In this game, people hide baskets filled with flowers and other small gifts around their homes or neighborhoods. Then, others must find the baskets and return them to the May Day celebration.
14. Host or Attend a Feast for Beltane:
Prepare a feast with fresh seasonal local produce grown organically near you. Include dairy and oat-based dishes, which are traditional Beltane foods.
15. Eat Traditional May Day or Beltane Foods:
Another traditional way to celebrate May Day is to eat cakes and other unique foods. In Sweden, for example, it’s common to eat a type of flavored porridge called havregröt. This dish is made with oats, milk, and sugar and can be served plain or with fruit.
In the Czech Republic, a sweet treat called May Day cake is often enjoyed on this holiday. This cake is made with yeast dough and filled with fruit or jam. In the United States, delivering a May Day basket on this holiday is traditional. This basket is typically filled with flowers but sometimes contains candy and other small gifts. It’s then hung on the doorknob of a friend or neighbor as a surprise.
16. Have a May Day Picnic:
Another popular May Day tradition is organizing a picnic. To enjoy the warmer weather, organize or join a family or community picnic with traditional spring foods, games, and music. Going on a picnic is a common way to celebrate May Day in many countries, including the United States, France, and Italy.
Gather food and a blanket if you want to enjoy the fun. Then, find a spot outdoors and enjoy a relaxing meal with your friends, family, or schoolmates. Having a picnic is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and the company of your loved ones. Plus, it’s a great excuse to eat some delicious food. So, if you’re looking for a May Day tradition that everyone can enjoy, having a picnic is a great option.
17. Enjoy a May Faire Celebration for Beltane:
Go to a May Faire to celebrate May Day! Communities worldwide have carnivals and festivals on or around May 1, often featuring traditional activities such as dancing the Maypole and other traditional May Day crafts and activities. My daughter’s prior Waldorf school (Blue Oak Public Charter School) puts on a May Faire, complete with a gorgeous Maypole dance to celebrate May Day.
Although we are homeschoolers now, we love to visit the school to celebrate spring with our community and the children she’s grown up with for May Day. Every parent I know enjoys the few years their children get to dance the Maypole to kick off the May Day festivities. There are booths where you can make traditional spring crafts such as flower crowns, a bake sale, and local vendors selling their gorgeous creations. Please, join us if you are a resident of Chico, CA. If not, check your local listings for a May Fair near you to enjoy the spring festivities!
18. Host or Attend a Bonfire to Celebrate Beltane:
It’s traditional in many Northern European contries to celebrate Beltane with a bonfire on May Day. So, hosting or attending a May Day bonfire is traditional in Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. It’s also popular in the United States, where people often gather around bonfires to sing and dance to celebrate May Day.
In the Middle Ages, the Gaelic people celebrated the festival of Beltane on May Day. In Gaelic, Beltane means “Day of Fire.” Historically, people created large bonfires and danced at night to celebrate the sown fields as they began to sprout. And in some parts of Ireland today, May Day Eve is still considered Bonfire Night. Light a bonfire with your community or in your backyard to symbolize the light and warmth of the coming summer.
Dancing around the bonfire and playing music is another way to celebrate Beltane. Today, many people still engage in traditional rituals such as jumping over the bonfire for fertility and luck. If you’d like to join the fun, learn how to build a campfire or bonfire and keep everyone safe. Ask someone to strum a guitar or a ukulele, have a spring sing-along, and enjoy the warmth of the flames. Hosting or attending a bonfire is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and the company of your loved ones. Plus, it’s a great excuse to roast some marshmallows!
19. Sing and Dance to Celebrate The Spring:
Another May Day celebration idea from around the world is singing and dancing. While the type of dance and song may vary, they each celebrate spring. Singing and dancing are traditional ways to celebrate May Day in Scandinavia, the UK, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
It’s also popular in the United States and Ireland, where people often gather around bonfires to sing and dance. If you want to join in on the fun–all you need is some music and the willingness to get up and dance. Then, you can enjoy May Day to the fullest by singing and dancing your heart out.
20. Tell May Day Stories or Read Spring Books:
Another fun thing to do on May Day is to tell stories and read books about spring. Look at this list of spring books for kids to gather ideas. Or, learn about May Day in Hawaii and why it is one of the most celebrated traditions in Kalei’s May Day in Hawai’i Nei.
21. May Day is also celebrated as International Workers’ Day:
In many countries, the first of May, or May Day, is observed as International Workers’ Day or Labour Day. It commemorates the historical struggles of the labor movement and workers’ rights and celebrates the gains made by workers and the labor movement throughout the Industrial Age. So, May Day is also a typical day for rallies, demonstrations, and marches advocating for workers’ rights, fair labor practices, and social justice. In the United States and Canada, a similar observance, Labor Day, occurs on the first Monday of September. Participate in or organize worker’s rights events or rallies and marches focusing on labor rights and achievements as another way to celebrate May Day.
21 May Day Traditions And Celebration Ideas You Can Try at Home
May Day is a traditional holiday celebrated in many countries around the world. While the holiday has many different origins, the common theme is the celebration of spring. Do you have any fun May Day traditions? We’d love to hear how YOU celebrate May Day at home. Please share them in the comments below! We’d love to hear how you and your family celebrate spring on this special day. Whether you make a Maypole, go for a barefoot walk in the morning dew, make flower crowns, have a picnic, fly a kite, celebrate Beltane with a bonfire, or do something else, we can’t wait to hear about it. Happy May Day!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play–> HERE.
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