Dublin Core
Title
May
Subject
celebration, custom, dancing, festivities, James II (r.1685-1688), Maia, May, May Day, maypole, medieval custom, medieval festivities, medieval procession, merrymaking, public holiday, puritans, Restoration, Roman, Romans
Description
In this article from the Western Mail, the author relates details of the historical customs and festivities associated with the month of May. The article begins by describing the medieval tradition of ‘a-maying’ and merrymaking on the first day of the month: ‘May day’. This involved processions and dancing, often around a maypole. Maypoles, the author goes on to explain, were viewed as especially objectionable by the Puritans in the seventeenth century, and banned by Parliament between 1644 and 1660. The article concludes by suggesting that the name ‘may’ was most likely Roman in origin - after Maia, the mother of Mercury.
Creator
Anon.
Source
National Library of Australia
Publisher
The Western Mail
Date
9 May 1946, p.3
Rights
The Western Mail
Format
Newspaper Article
Language
English
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Newspaper Article