May 1, 2015 (Friday)
Today is May 1.
The Encyclopedia says, “May Day on May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the celebrations that the day includes.” Its origins go back thousands of years.
I remember the May pole celebration in elementary school. One year we dressed in western clothes and danced around the pole to “put your little foot.” The next year we danced around the pole again, this time as little sailors to the tune of “Sailing, sailing over the bounding main.” Then I moved on to the 5th grade in another school, and I don’t remember doing anything special for “May Day.” The year was 1942, the war was on; I guess we had “put away childish things.”
The day is always special for me personally because it is the anniversary of our moving into this house in 1970–45 years ago today. Our oldest was not yet 16 years of age, and the others were 14, 10, 6, and 3. We had many happy days together in this house as they grew up. We had already lived in Rockport for nearly 6 years, next door to the present funeral home, which was the location of the long-time residence of Mrs. Beatley when we lived there. We took a vacation shortly after moving. Here’s a picture.
– Dwight Dianna Debbie Dan David –
Carlsbad Caverns 1970
“Mayday” has been a distress signal since 1923, and was chosen because it sounds like a French word which means “Help me.” It has nothing to do with May 1, the holiday.
“Mayday” might have been appropriate on August 3, 1970, when Hurricane Celia hit the Coastal Bend. This is how our house looked then. Looks much better today.
Here’s Google’s recent snapshot:
