missindie

I love May Day!! Great picks! :]

beautifulbridget

gorgeous picks!!

HautTotes

Great pics!

dogties

Wonderful items.
We love spring time!

SimpleJoysPaperie

I leave a gift for a friend in one of my handmade paper May baskets!

redrubyrose

Happy May Day! Great to see the video clip of the Padstow festivities. I was there for it a few years ago and it was certainly a crazy hedonistic pagan day :)

OffTheHooks

don't forget about the other side of may day!!!!!!!! THE 8 HOUR WORKDAY & WEEKENDS!!

May Day is celebrated and recognized as the International Workers’ day, chosen over 100 years ago to commemorate the struggles and gains of workers and the labour movement. Most notable reasons to celebrate are the 8-hour day, Saturday as part of the weekend, improved working conditions and child labor laws. But these gains were not attained without the solidarity of workers.

As workers, we must recognize and commemorate May Day not only for its historical significance, but also as a time to organize and speak out around issues that are impacting working-class people today.

beemiceelf

Happy May Day! Everyone needs to go pick some flowers for themselves today :) Great items!

thewhimsytrove

Happy Beltane everyone! And isn't it a happy coincidence that May Day is also International Workers' Day? Workers of the World Unite!

(at this point please visualize our shop avatar as a raised solidarity fist...)

jenniferlynnstudio

Very pretty items..hard to believe it's May already.

emccul1

I just got a history lesson from my 92 yr old grandma about this. Great to see it being translated to the craft world.

Intentions

In the midwest where I grew up everyone made May Baskets out of paper cupcake liners and pipe cleaners. Decorated them, filled with candy. Then you'd sneak up to someone's door whom you liked or "loved" and would place it on their doorknob, ring the bell and run. They had to come out and chase you. If they caught you, they had to kiss you. It was as much fun to put on someone's door you didn't want to kiss you. Made the running away part sooo much faster.

omg, was that not the funnest holiday, ever. Certainly beat out Halloween! Candy and kisses.

Mattamorphis

FABULOUS.

May is my favorite month!

I am starting my 21 DAYS OF FABULOUS. Think of it as fasting but you get to SPLURGE!

Since my birthday is in MAY I am sending a FREE surprise gift with each order!

Happy birthday from me to you!

-M

CutieDynamite

Happy May Day! Cute picks.

novadesigns

Happy May first!

Makes me long for Swedish Midsummer, which is in June...

Perceptions

Happy May Day! Such pretty finds, ♥ the wood nymph wreath!

HibouCards

great wreath!

bobnstitch

In Hawaii you make and wear leis!

aimeesarmoire

Yay... Spring has Sprung, even in the far northern reaches of New England! And a great point made by OffTheHooks -- workers' rights certainly seem to be a low priority among many companies these days. Thank goodness for Etsy, where we can show off our own work and show our appreciation for the works of others! Go Etsy!!!

ApplewoodHandwovens

In our little Midwestern towns (USA)May Day meant making pretty little baskets often out of scraps of colored paper, filling it with wild flowers or sweet treats, hanging them on the doorknob of a friend or neighbor. Then we'd knock or ring the bell then run away and hide hoping they never know where the surprise came from.

BabbidgePatch

Happy May Day ~ we used to leave a basket of candy and flowers at someone's door, knock on it, then run away ~ the expectation was that the recipent would have to come out and chase us, then once caught, we would all share the bounty ~

MelissaBeach

Horray Horray for the month of May
Outdoor pleasure begins today!

CurioCabinet

I'm afraid my days of being captured by black-caped revelers on horses are over, so I will just have to be content with memories of making paper cones of flowers from my Grandmother's garden and leaving them on doorsteps!

madeline1025

May 1 is also the Feast Day of St. Joseph, the worker !!!

JoyandWhimsy

Interesting article about May Day and I didn't know it was also the Feast Day for St. Joseph the Worker as mentioned above. Thanks everyone!

rachelgrigg

Wow! As a etsyan living in Cornwall, its great to see Cornwall festivities being celebrated on such an international site such as Etsy. Check out what our Cornish creators are up to on the location section!

crimsonseadragon

Hooray for May Day and everything it represents!!

WickedDarling

Thanks for sharing those fascinating pics!

GemmaBeads

Love May Day! Beautiful wreaths and fun selections. Thanks for sharing!!

recycledwares

great flowery fun - reminds me of fairies and fireflies

TheCottageCheese

Hooray, Hooray first day of May...
Love the pretty pretty things!

PAINTINGSBYSAM

Make Leis and Dance Hula at May Day Festivals!

mazedasastoat

happy Beltane to all you lovely Etsians out there! It's my favourite festival... anyone else out bathing their face in the dew on May morning? ;-)

endlesswhimsy

I used to teach my students about May Day and taught them dances. The weaving is incredible!

Archivia

Ha, remember the movie The Wicker Man? lol

(the original, I mean....)

wesleyhallparker

A few years ago on May Day, we were on our honeymoon in the south of France and Corsica. Lily of the Valley was everywhere! All the shops were overflowing with it -- I guess it's the custom to give loved ones bouquets of muget on May Day. It was so beautiful and sweet. I'll never forget it.

SpunOutOriginals

Down here its samhain, get out the pumpkins.

MeadowbelleMarket

Thanks for the sweet reminder about May Day. We used to make little paper baskets and leave cut flowers on neighbors' porches (or dandelions, or whatever abundant weed we could find -- which were all the same as flowers as a kid).

DalkullanJewelry

It's so good to see the flowers and green again. The midwestern winters are too long. That's a great tradition on the May baskets, I've heard of it, but never done it.

staceyrebecca

For May Day, my son's waldorf school had all the children dress in white, they made flower head wreaths and danced around the maypole. the day ended with a potluck feast with parents. it was surreal and beautiful.

CoraDesigns

Hi.... Here in Australia we are jealous getting ready for the cooler months now that it is May...Happy May DAy and may the spring flowers abound and the children dance with merry abandonment..up there in the North...Luv Cora

ToxicInk

Thanks for adding my Maypole print to this beautiful collection!

maclancy

beautiful choices... any excuse to wear a crown!

CollectionObsession

In Louisville, it's all about the Kentucky Derby.

secretlives

woodsy and beautiful

bbbennyandthejet

*dancing around the maypole*

virsaq

In here (India) esp NE India May Day means labor day and on that day all the private public transport go on strike for 12 hours. Which means, schools are closed on that day. So on May Day this year, I spend the day with my brats and thay had a great time cos they get to have long weekends..;).

EJPcreations

Look how cute this article is!!! I love hearing about all the different traditions for May day all around the world.

mybirch

Great Article! When I was in grad school we made "May day" flower baskets out of colored paper and went around and hung them on doors! Thats my only May Day memory haha!

minouette

I celebrate my birthday on Mayday! :)

thosegreathousewomen

My daughter's school has a major May Day festival. She has been sewing her very special may day crown for weeks, and on Friday we brought fresh flowers to decorate the may pole, crowns, and the rest of the school. The weather was beautiful, and the kids did their weaving maypole dance, and sang special spring songs. It was magical!

TheCraftyRagamuffin

We put up our hops pole on May Day...which is kind of like a May Pole, except instead of beautiful ribbons we use twine so the hops bines can climb and climb and someday in Septemeber we will harvest that lovely hops!