American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1912-05-16

come OF the Spanl6hAmer-
lean war. To be sure. 1t IL not the custom Of the
nation to indulge In spectacular observances Of
Dewey Day" but there II a general display OF
The nag on residences and public buildings In
honor OF the occasion and It Ia a favorite occasion
'or banQuets and speech-making.
To 80 at once to the other extreme in cata-
logning the functions OF May Day 1t may be noted
nat May Day 10 also moving day." meaning the
1ate on which expire most leases Of residential
property and when. In consequence, there IL a
general Hitting to and fro Of the folk who live In
rented houses and In apartments OF nats. In
some communities April 1 is more generally OBJ
served an moving day than 10 May 1, but In
most sections OF the country the later date IL
preferred. In more recent years. too, custom has
gwen October ! some Significance as q moving
lay. but for the great majority Of our people who
move only once a year. at most. May stil has
he call AZ a fixed festival for the shifting Of
household shrines.
May Day Is a date marked for its own By or
eanized labor not only In the United States, but
pretty much throughout the civilized world. In
many cities there are on this dav each v..,
monster parades of the union labor organizations.
and II has long been accepted ms the most auspi-
cious occasion for inaugurating great general
strikes In the various trades. Some May DAYS
have been rendered memorable by riotous dI..
turbances. but during the past few years the oh.
servance OF the holiday has, for the most mari.
passed of quietly.
To all American children May Day Ia an event
to be looked forward to. There are May-pole
dances and frolics of various kinds in the nark,
II the weather permits and these are an orpanizad
a. to enlist the participation of the kinderp.rt.
eners and the smallest children az well as ths
older ones. When weather or other conditions
prevent the Festivities In the open air. special
exercises are held In the school rooms. In short
May Day Is for the whole body of American vorrv
people an occasion Of relaxation and jollity hut
for all that there are SO many frolics. danc,ng
parties ana social gatherings on the date, there 10
one d'scordant note In the dearth OF weddings.
May Land. indeed, every day in Nav would .aem
to be ideal for weddings. but the old superst,t,on
that May marriages are unlucky restricts the
number OF brides on May Day and on the th,rtv
days that follow. '
May Day. although not always. Of course. known
~ tnst name. 10 one OF the Oldest holidays on the
calendar. In the church calendar the nrst OF
May Is the combined day of ST. Philip the Apost,a
ana ~. James the Less. but the festivities which
marx the day In Great Britain. France, Germany
ana otner countries are what may be termed the
direct descendants of the ancient Roman FIoral,a
and the Druidic feasts In honor Of tho yoa nj
the Baai OF the Scriptures. Indeed. the origin NJ
the holiday seems to date still farther back IN
the history Of India and Egypt, and in both of
NOSE ancient countries the May pole was a recox.
nised and conspicuous emblem.
History relates that the Druids celebrated tbs
nrst OF May BY lighting immense fires in honor
OF this deity. and II is. interesting to note thar
this same custom tfor all that Il has lost n. "a
s'e'ous s'k"sHcsncet - yet followed by the Irish
and the Scotch Highlanders. Among tbea. rsm.
nants OF the Celtic stock tho festival Is to this
day referred to a. Bsltins or Bealtaine-mean
ing. literally. the day Of Bells nre." There are
other reminders OF the ancient May Day rites vet
70 pc observed In certain portions Of Ireland and
scotland. but these have lapsed to a certain az.
tent with tho advance Of time and the invasion
OF . new population and the curious person who
would behold the observance OF the tradition.
OF May Day In all It's pristine glory must pene-
usfs nowadays to some remote or isolated ham.
let In the Highlands
where the old customs yet obtain all tho youths
OF . township OF, village meet on May Day ON
the nearest moor. A round table or altar II emf
In the green sod and the entire company station
themselves IN q trench which 10 formed around
the tAote' A nre 10 kfndied and a custard pr~-
pared OF e@ss and milk. q huge cake of oatmea,
being meanwhile kneaded and baked on the EN-.
oers. The custard 10 eaten but the cake 10 merely
divided into a. many paeces as there are persons
In the company and thss pieces are all thrown