May Day, the Coming Summer, and Agriculture

Today, the specific practices associated with May Day vary throughout the regions in which it is celebrated, but these all reflect the rich history of the festival. The roots of May Day reach deep into Europe’s past, at least as far as the ancient Roman Republic, where a predecessor festival was held at the end of April and beginning of May to celebrate the goddess of flowers and spring. A May-specific celebration had developed by the height of Rome’s empire, Maiouma, a nocturnal festival associated with firelight.

Similar festivals and celebrations around the same time of year were present across Northern Europe. Over time and with the rise of Christianity, celebrations developed further, May Eve being celebrated throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Regions varied significantly in practice from each other. In what is now Germany, it became Walpurgis night associated with the Christian saint Walpurga; in the Celtic regions of the British Isles, it was Beltaine or Calan Mai, all of which were still largely associated with the lighting of fires, often torches or bonfires. In Britain, the rituals included the blessing of cows to protect their milk from fairies by forcing them to leap over the fires, and people did the same for good luck. May Day’s most famous associations today are, of course, with the Dancing around the Maypole and the crowning of the May Queen. In some cases, the association with protecting livestock and floral decoration have been directly combined, with Irish traditions including the protection of pig houses by placing may flowers on their lintels. May Day’s deepest associations lie with the new life brought by the spring, growing into full bloom by the summer. Coinciding with both the blossoming of many trees and the initiation of the busy farming season. Indeed, it is now also “Labour Day”, a time to recognise and celebrate the hard graft of labourers.

The Early May Bank Holiday that just passed us forms a compromise between the tradition of May Day and the realities of the modern working week, having the holiday fall on the first Monday of the month rather than the more traditional first day. With its passing, we can look forward to the bright sun and long days of the summer, but with the globe warming, an increase in summer droughts puts additional pressures on the UK, particularly agriculture, with which this time’s celebrations have long been associated. A struggle against tighter constraints for farmers can also help to breed innovation, with more R&D projects seeking to tackle the challenges of the day. We hope to see more farmers improving upon the status quo in their industry in the future, and we are here to provide such farmers with support in claiming their deserved R&D benefits.

At Minerva Innovation Group, farming is one of our key specialisms, as highlighted in a recent feature by The Scottish Farmer and our sponsorship of the upcoming Royal Highland Show this coming June.