Bring Back the Baskets

Phantasmal

Phantasmal

Harris/Walz
Staff member
A fond childhood memory is making May Day Baskets. We put sprigs of lilacs or mock orange plus candy into each, left them on neighbors porches, rang the bell, yelled “Happy May Day” and ran.

I wonder if anyone still does this? I did it with my kids, but I don’t think my kids do it :(
 
I thought May Day was the day when the Soviet Union had those parades with all of the military paraphernalia.

Its other name was Try to Scare the West Shitless Day. In the end, it didn't work.

I remember May 5th being a big day because major pay per view boxing matches were usually scheduled in the days before streaming took over.
The Mexican Americans were really big on it for some reason. It was fun.
 
NiftyNiblick said:
I thought May Day was the day when the Soviet Union had those parades with all of the military paraphernalia.

Its other name was Try to Scare the West Shitless Day. In the end, it didn't work.

I remember May 5th being a big day because major pay per view boxing matches were usually scheduled in the days before streaming took over.
The Mexican Americans were really big on it for some reason. It was fun.
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I guess May baskets were the Midwest’s way of subverting the Soviets. ;)
 
Phantasmal said:
A fond childhood memory is making May Day Baskets. We put sprigs of lilacs or mock orange plus candy into each, left them on neighbors porches, rang the bell, yelled “Happy May Day” and ran.

I wonder if anyone still does this? I did it with my kids, but I don’t think my kids do it :(
Click to expand...

I never heard of that, but I would like to find a random basket of flowers and candy on my porch!
 
NiftyNiblick said:
Looks like it worked.
I tend to be too critical of Middle America, I guess.
Sorry.
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Don’t be, I’m critical of them myself. It’s why I won’t live in my home town, again, by choice. I will say that my hometown is very diverse for a small farming community, but there are a lot of people that resent it is.
 
Phantasmal said:
A fond childhood memory is making May Day Baskets. We put sprigs of lilacs or mock orange plus candy into each, left them on neighbors porches, rang the bell, yelled “Happy May Day” and ran.

I wonder if anyone still does this? I did it with my kids, but I don’t think my kids do it :(
Click to expand...

I never heard of this tradition, but it sounds lovely. I guess here our baskets would have dead-looking twigs and leftover Easter candy. And the bears would eat them before the neighbors found them. lol
 
NiftyNiblick said:
I thought May Day was the day when the Soviet Union had those parades with all of the military paraphernalia.

Its other name was Try to Scare the West Shitless Day. In the end, it didn't work.

I remember May 5th being a big day because major pay per view boxing matches were usually scheduled in the days before streaming took over.
The Mexican Americans were really big on it for some reason. It was fun.
Click to expand...

They DID have those big parades with the missiles and stuff. In nicer places, people set up a May pole and danced around it. In even earlier times they danced around the May pole nude, then chased each other through the fields and forests. May Day (aka Beltane) is a fertility festival that goes back thousands of years.

I guess the Soviets were compensating with those big missiles. lol
 
Cypress said:
My avatar is not Soviet.

I think May Day has been a thing long before parades on Red Square. Something tells me May Day traditions might go back to the middle ages.
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The Catholic Church, May is a big month celebrating Mary. I remember parades around the block of the church, and making and wearing wreaths of flowers on my head.
 
Hello Phantasmal,

Phantasmal said:
A fond childhood memory is making May Day Baskets. We put sprigs of lilacs or mock orange plus candy into each, left them on neighbors porches, rang the bell, yelled “Happy May Day” and ran.

I wonder if anyone still does this? I did it with my kids, but I don’t think my kids do it :(
Click to expand...

Sounds great. Random acts of kindness.

Love it.

Never heard of it, but it sounds wonderful.
 
Phantasmal said:
The Catholic Church May is a big month celebrating Mary. I remember parades around the block of the church, and making and wearing wreaths of flowers on my head.
Click to expand...

I think historically May Day was some kind of celebration of the return of Spring, and I suspect it has roots in the European Middle Ages - maybe even based on earlier pagan traditions.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
I never heard of this tradition, but it sounds lovely. I guess here our baskets would have dead-looking twigs and leftover Easter candy. And the bears would eat them before the neighbors found them. lol
Click to expand...
You always make me laugh. I had the kids make paper flowers in Alaska, same problem, no bears, but we had moose.
 
NiftyNiblick said:
I thought May Day was the day when the Soviet Union had those parades with all of the military paraphernalia.

Its other name was Try to Scare the West Shitless Day. In the end, it didn't work.

I remember May 5th being a big day because major pay per view boxing matches were usually scheduled in the days before streaming took over.
The Mexican Americans were really big on it for some reason. It was fun.
Click to expand...

"Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force was a boost to morale for the Mexicans.Wikipedia"
 
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