"Remember the childhood rhyme April showers bring May flowers? Flowers are a big part of May Day celebrations. May Day brings the image of maypoles, collecting flowers, and the delight in finding a surprise basket of flowers on your doorstep. Throughout its history, May Day has traditionally been a joyous celebration of spring, femininity, fertility, and the coming summer.
The first day of May is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is believed it evolved from ancient agricultural and fertility rites of spring. There are signs of the first celebrations in Egypt. However, the majority of the current traditions stem from the Roman Festival, Floralia. This was a five day festival to honor the Goddess Flora with offerings of flowers, dancing, ringing bells, May Queens and erecting a Maypole. Other traditions developed from the ancient celebrations of the Celtic Beltane and the Germanic Walpurgis Night."
While I can appreciate the history behind May Day, it holds a different meaning for us! As a child I remember making May Day cones, snipping off some flowers from a neighbors blooming bush, and leaving on the doorstep of unsuspecting friends and family members! I loved preparing them, delivering them, and running away before I was caught! We never put our names on them, as it was supposed to be a surprise. As, I grew a bit older, my May day baskets became more elaborate and I designed many different versions of my May Day basket, but also with the help of my mom filled them with fun trinkets and treasures and delivered them to my friends! I even remember still doing these in highschool, but the trinkets and treasures turned to nail polish, and make up etc. It always brought me joy to do this small act without any anticipation of anything in return. The first few years I received very few if any in return, as pretty soon, over the years I started to receive some from friends who caught on to the May Day fever.
Now, as a momma of two little ones, I have passed on this tradition. From the time Maddie was big enough to walk, we started doing May Day baskets together. We took them to neighbor kids, friends etc. Now, as Maddie has started school, she has a list going well before May Day with whom she wants to share her May Day basket. Maddie views May Day as a holiday just like Valentines Day, 4th of July or any other. In fact, she asked me today, why we didn't have any "May Day" decorations to put up!
So, last night we spent an hour or so together creating her May Day baskets. We shared time talking about how sneaky we were going to be, about how one of her friends Paige's house is SO hard to deliver and sneak away as it is a cul-de-sac and it is hard to get away quickly. We giggled and shared so much joy together.
Today, as I was driving the "get away" car, we had a conversation about random acts of kindness. We talked about our love for making the May Day baskets, delivery of them, and imagining the smiles of her friends and family who came to the door to find a small basket of candies and treasures. I used this long lost holiday to turn it into a day that is more about a "random act of kindness" and how we are doing it to do something nice for others, not because we "expect" to get any May Day baskets in return. I could see my daughters wheels spinning in her mind, and she sat quietly in the back seat as we drove to to our next house. Pretty soon, she piped up and said "Momma, maybe next year we should make some and deliver them to some houses with kids that don't have very many things. I bet that would REALLY make them smile!"
I love that Maddie has a kind, generous heart! I love that we can share special days like this together, and I love that you can easily do this too! Talk to your kids about random acts of kindness! Throw together some quick baskets...and deliver them to some unsuspecting friends or family members! You will be suprised at how much fun you will have, and how much joy it will bring you to do a random act of kindness for others!
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