The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-01
The History or May Day How The Queen Was Chosen For
 Springs Throne Of Flowers

l The ancient and modern festival featured May-Day. Now as in the l past that day, and for that matter 1 the entire month, is a time happily adapted to a more or less general ob-
 servance ill colorful ceremony. The
 Latin and Sanskrit roots of the word May mean to grow. Thus do we account for the growing month 1 of May which stands alone in its youthful beauty. There are many
 beautiful months rich in verdure
 and plentiful in blossoms and pro-
 duce and general growth. But there
 is no other month that has the fresh
 and new beauty when the first green things are seen above the ground or when leaves and tender shoots first appear in the green of May. And
 May, 1881, has come according to schedule with the Connecticut land- scapa with it's intermittent hills
 showing pale green sheen in the early morning sunlight, sparkling at
 the noon hour and fading to soft glow at sundown.
 May-Day and May, the month,
 have many familiar descriptive titles. The bards and story-tellers of old re-
 ferred to Merrymaking May-Day. May Morn, May Dew, the May, and the Flowery May. The lore of old
 describes variety of glorified events celebrated with I,luch ceremony, such as the 'crowning of the May Queen, dancing about the May-Pole, the Celtic festival of Beltein, and the Roman festival, Floralia which occurred between April 28 and May 8. the goddess Flora (flower) the ob- ject of worship. The floral games in n1Nro ] tion were in the nature of a pagan revel, the pagans of that day rem dering a soEtsof homage to the flow ering and vegetative state at this time.
 Of another nature was the Celtic festival (remote antiquity of Bell tane, sometimes spelled Beiltine and Bealtainn.' There are traces of this celebration surviving in some Celtic countries, but in the main the May Day observances in Ireland are of the familiar joyous nature such as decorating trees and the most com- mon of all customs, crowning the May Queen. This festival of Beltane derives it's name from Bel, meaning the sun. Beal or Bell was the Celtic god of the sun. The Gaelic forms "bealltainn" and "bealltuinn"' signify the. first day of May. The general feeling wherever May Day is or has been celebrated and observed at all is to "say 1t with flowers" May-Day without flowers would not be May Day. And as the children of our own country in our own cities and towns prepare May baskets present them to their teachers and carry them from door to door to their friends, so has it been and perhaps still is the custom, especially in rural Ireland to gather the wild flowers on the first of May and decorate a tree in the door yard. If trees are already pretty we'll budded a tree without leaves is set up and dec orated in beautiful fashion. So it is seen the floral nature sof the May Day celebration always has been pretty general at home and abroad.
 May-Day was similarly observed in England. The feeling of gladness was the keynote to day of joyous celebration. The idea of decorating much merriment was enjoyed in the form of song. and dance. In this re-, spect such a happy display of joyous spirit still prevails. not only in the countries of the old world but right here in our midst, and quite similar festivities are indulged in, such as May parties galore and the recurrent dancing about the Maypole. England In Chaucer's day celebrated the first of May by going out early in the morning, young and old, courtiers and peasants "to fetch the flowers fresh." Hawthorn. the English May flower, also was gathered. and houses, doors and windows were dec orated in much the same fashion as Tn Ireland. This custom suggests a