The History of May Day | The Lunatics Project

This festival marks the beginning of Spring and is famous for its Maypole traditions. The Maypole is a long wooden pole with various decorations, including garlands or painted designs, mostly used in Germanic pagan festivals. Sometimes the Maypole comes with a Maypole dance. Other activities include picking wildflowers and, as seen in Midsomer (2019), crowning a May Queen. Spring celebrations date back to the Roman Republic (around 509 BCE), with festivals that honored Flora, Dionysus, and Aphrodite. Beltane is a regional example of a May Day celebration, specific to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Different versions of this celebration of Summer span Germany, Bulgaria, England, Estonia, on and on. But the general idea is a celebration of the pastoral season and the shift from Winter to Summer. Tune in to the Lunatics Radio Hour Podcast, anywhere you listen to podcasts or here: https://www.lunaticsproject.com/episodes For more haunted history visit: https://www.lunaticsproject.com/ Follow on Instagram @TheLunaticsProject and Twitter @lunaticsproject Support us by shopping our spooky merch: https://lunatics-radio-hour.creator-s... Check out our collaborative and creepy art magazines: https://www.etsy.com/shop/filmsaboutl... Get a copy of Abby's collection of short Horror Stories: https://tinyurl.com/abbyhorrorstories #hauntedhistory #paranormal #travel