At the beginning of every class at the Urban Farm, students gather on hay bales for a short communion surrounding a tall, multicolored pole. Many students, including myself, have admired the colorful ribbons and the flowers that sit atop this pole, though were never aware of its significance until the lovely Beltane celebration at the farm.

My experience with May Day as a child was always limited to noticing that people left flowers on each others doorsteps on May 1st, though I never understood why. On May 2nd, I observed and participated in parts of the May Day celebration at the Urban Farm and can say that I am officially converted toward the intention of celebrating this day for the rest of my life.

May Day, or traditionally known as Beltane in many ancient Wiccan and Pagan traditions, is a spring celebration that signifies the halfway point between the Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It is believed to have originated from the Festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers, drinking and dance. Beltane is also known as a pre-Christian Celtic holiday. Due to the wide variety of suggested origins, adoptions and adaptations to this celebration, it is hard to pin point exact reasons why specific May Day rituals take place. I am a firm believer though, that many traditions, as different as they may seem as a hard as they may reject one another, often originate from the similar beliefs and places.

This mysterious pole I speak of is the center of the May Day celebration at the Urban farm. Students took part in the May Pole dance where different colored ribbons representing the four cardinal directions are wrapped around the pole. The west, or water, is represented by different shades of blue ribbon that stand for the general themes of rebirth and cleansing. The sky is in the east with a white ribbon, representing perspective, insight and understanding. The fire of the south is red, orange and gold ribbon, representing fire, passion and drive. Lastly, earth is in the North with green, brown and black ribbons representing balance and a sense of grounding. Students each grab a colored ribbon and partake in a dance weaving in and out of each other and around the pole.

Plants are popping up all around us, here’s to fertility!

Can I hold a small acorn
In my tiny hand
Plant it beneath the soil
And sweat with workers toil
To bear the gift
Of watching it grow
Into a beautiful tree
That will strengthen me
Hold me in the confines of its branches