Tonight, we are going to a huge bonfire in celebration of the eve of May Day. The lore behind the tradition gets murky and could lead to an uncomfortable conversation about religion; suffice it to say that on the final evening of April, bonfires are lit to burn away the last vestiges of bitter winter before spring is rung in the following day. Tomorrow, if we were to follow Czech tradition, we would have to go kiss under a blooming tree.
I am really excited because May is one of my favorite months. To start with, May Day is my favorite holiday to celebrate at nursery school. Christmas and Easter are great for older children, but they come with complex backstories that are too much for the young child to grasp. Halloween is fun for some but terrifies others. Equinoxes and solstices celebrate the start of seasons which children love watching the changes of. However, the start of the season does not necessarily coincide with what children associate with that season (it does not always snow before the 21st of December and it is often still summery in late September).
May Day is very obvious to children. Spring weather is in full swing, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and we should celebrate by being outside. There is no tale to remember or lesson to learn; it is simply about enjoying what you experience.
The rest of May brings some of my favorite things:
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| The Prague Beer Festival! |
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| Brunches on Patios |
The birthdays of two of our nearest and dearest friends:
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| Lucy! |
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| Matthew! |
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| Afternoons in the Park |
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| Field Trips with My Little Ones |
May this year also means a weekend trip to Olomouc, Amy completing her Master's, and hopefully a few trips to the farmer's market. We look forward to a busy month with plenty of blog posts.
Here in Alabama, US, we don't celebrate May Day: but I've always thought I'd want to! If you get down to it, many "Christian" holidays also have murky histories: so why not celebrate all the world's holidays, I say?! I'm all for having a special holiday each month to look forward to. More excuses for cake!
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