Party On with May Day Dancing, Maybaskets to mark the first day of May. May Poles, a tradition in Europe, are the center of celebrations there and in the United States on the 1st day of May.
The beautiful image of women dancing around the European May Pole, by Lisa Racz, is symbolic of the celebrations in Germany, England and Austria. They celebrate this holiday, similar to our present Earth Day, by bringing trees from the forest, cutting off branches, then decorating them or poles with flowers and ribbons in preparation for people to hold ribbons as they dance around the pole. The ancient ritual has evolved into various celebrations to honor the rite of spring. A friend in the Bavarian area of Germany calls the Maibaum.
As children, we would hand make little baskets from construction paper, adding handles and fill them with spring goodies. Then the best part came: delivering them to friends. We would run to the front doors of our friends homes, set the May Basket on the porch, ring the doorbell, then run away so they would be surprised when they answered the doors. We did this when we were in grade school in our small town of Wisconsin Rapids, a very safe, secure community. I can picture it today, as I share this fun tradition for you on May Day.
In Europe, the celebration happens on the weekend of Pentacost, a religious tradition that happens the first weekend in May. As I look out my window this morning, through my Window Shadings in Colorado Springs, I’m looking at an inch of snow, with the mountains covered like frosting on a cake. I have the insulation I need from the Silhouette® blinds, yet can watch the storm as it moves through our area. We will often get a quick dusting of snow (or sometimes blizzards) in Colorado, to enjoy Springtime in the Rockies. This is Wednesday and by the weekend our temperatures will reach 70 or 80 degrees. Never a dull moment in the weather pattern here~~~
Enjoying a clear, preserved view is one of the reasons I have Hunter Douglas’ Silhouette® window shadings in my home. The 3 criteria for selecting Silhouettes® to cover my windows are filtered views, where I see my gardens and landscape while having insulation, and partial privacy simultaneously. I love the light in my home, it is cheerful and brings me energy, so want to enjoy the outside as much as possible. Little gnats, bugs and debris are also attracted to the light. So they fly inside the vane openings of many shadings like Nantuckets™ and Silhouettes®, they die inside the shadings and need to be removed.
We invented the CamilyWand™ Sticky Bug Removal Tool™ to reach inaccessible places like the shade openings. It works for many other tasks wherever something needs to be picked up or removed. It’s sticky CamilyTip on the end of an extension pole will safely “grab” the offensive object and then easily remove it from the blind or other areas. It’s an invaluable tool to have in your home for a variety of removal needs.
We at Camily, LLC hope you have wonderful May Day celebrations and a safe weekend!