The Oldest Day in the Country Calendar

May Day sits where spring tips into summer, and the old farming calendar marked it with far more enthusiasm than the church ever managed to contain. The Romans had their Floralia; the Celtic year had Beltane; medieval villages went "a-maying" into the woods at first light to bring back branches of hawthorn, birch and oak. What survives today — the dancers, the ribbons, the garlands — is a fragment of something much older, patched and revived many times over.

You do not need the history to enjoy it, but knowing why a village keeps its maypole up all year, or why a side dances outside the same pub every 1 May, makes the day feel less like a quaint performance and more like a living habit.

Maypole Dancing on the Village Green

The maypole is the day's most recognisable emblem, though its fortunes have risen and fallen. Puritans pulled them down, Victorians put them back up, and many a village now raises its pole only every few years, with the whole parish turning out to help. Barwick-in-Elmet in Yorkshire, Ickwell Green in Bedfordshire and Offenham in Worcestershire each keep the tradition going with their own quirks of timing and ritual.

Watching is straightforward. Dancers hold ribbons from the top of the pole and weave in and out, plaiting them against the wood; the pattern depends on the number of dancers, and a tangled pole is part of the fun. Stand well back to leave room, keep dogs on leads and clear of the ribbons, and wait for the set to finish before crossing the grass.

Garlands, Greenery and Bringing in the May

Flowers matter as much as ribbons. Children once carried posies and garlands from door to door on the first morning of May, sometimes with a doll at the centre, collecting pennies and good wishes. In a few places the custom survives as the May garland or the milkmaids' garland — a frame dressed with flowers and borrowed silverware, carried on a pole.

Greenery is the other half of the tradition. Hawthorn, "may" itself, was brought indoors, though plenty of households avoided it, remembering the superstition that may blossom in the house brings bad luck. The old rhyme is still worth knowing: oak before ash, only a splash; ash before oak, a soak. And "ne'er cast a clout till May be out" refers to the hawthorn blossom, not the month — so keep the coat handy well into June.

An Early Morning Walk

The oldest May Day practice of all is simply to be outdoors at dawn. Young people once walked out overnight and returned with greenery at breakfast, and the dew of 1 May was said to be good for the complexion. You can take the walk without the folklore. A stroll before sunrise gives you the dawn chorus at full strength: blackbird, song thrush, robin and wren first, then the chiffchaff and the warblers. Listen for the order in which the birds start — it is remarkably consistent.

Practicalities: first light falls around 5am across much of England in early May, so take a flask, wear more layers than you think you need, and walk quietly. If you would rather not go alone, wildlife charities and local walking groups run dawn chorus walks on the first Sunday of the month.

Morris Dancing, Jack in the Green and Local Variations

Across the country, the first of May belongs to morris sides. Cotswold teams dance with handkerchiefs and sticks; north-west teams wear clogs and process through the streets; border sides work with sticks and bells outside pubs from mid-morning. Most publish their route in advance through village newsletters and community noticeboards, and they are well used to an audience.

The other great May Day figure is Jack in the Green, a man inside a tall cone of woven foliage, led by drummers — a survivor of the old chimney sweeps' garland processions, now revived in several towns. In Cornwall, Padstow's 'Obby 'Oss brings out the whole town on 1 May. A little etiquette goes a long way: do not touch costumes, sticks or ribbons without asking, never step inside a set, and ask before photographing, especially where children are involved.

Simple Ways to Mark the Day

You do not need a maypole at the end of the garden to keep May Day. Small, honest gestures do more than a half-hearted performance.

• Make a garland. Bend a hazel or willow hoop, or use a wire coat hanger, and bind it with garden flowers, ivy and rosemary. Leave wildflowers where they are — uprooting wild plants without the landowner's permission is an offence, and many species are protected.
• Hang a posy on a neighbour's door. The old May basket custom, a small bunch left anonymously, deserves reviving. Keep it simple and leave no note.
• Bake something seasonal. A plain cake with rhubarb or elderflower, or a jug of syllabub, suits the day better than anything elaborate.
• Support a local event properly. Check the parish noticeboard, the church magazine or the library to see what is on. Arrive on time, buy something from the cake stall, and put money in the collection — these customs survive on a few hundred pounds and a great deal of goodwill.
• Learn one thing. Ask an organiser who made the garlands, or which tune the side is playing. The people who keep these traditions going are almost always glad to be asked.