The concept of the Maypole has been around for centuries. Possibly dating
back to the 7th or 8th century when the people of Northern Europe
introduced the Maypole to England.
Our ancestors viewed the Beltane Maypole celebration as a time for
welcoming the spring as winter passes. To them the maypole was not just a
representation of spring. It was also a focal point for Midsummer and
Mabon. The Midsummer pole celebrated the ideas of continuity and
community, whereas the Mabon pole represented a way to give thanks for the
bountiful harvest and to signal the onset of winter. No research is
available to authenticate what I am about to say, but I could see the pole
being burned at Samhain to acknowledge the death of vegetation and the end
of the year.
I have read in many sources that the Maypole was often constructed from the
family Yule tree. The dance of the Maypole was not only a community affair
but also a celebration by families as their Yule trees were stripped of
their branches, decorated with flower wreaths and streamers and planted in
the yard. Each family held its own celebration as a way to welcome in the
May.
In Germany, on May Eve, single young men of the village would go out into
the woods and cut down a fir tree; removing all branches except for the
upper ones. Ribbons and flowers were placed upon the tree. It was then
erected in the village square and guarded all night until the May Day
celebration. They believed that the maypole represented the World tree.
Its roots symbolized the underworld and its branches reached to the upper
realms. Around Munich, the "maibaum", the community maypole, displayed the
history of the village carved into the tree trunk. It remained standing for
years.
The first Maypole in America was brought by the Anglican colony of Mount
Merry, a group of the Plymouth Bay Colony Pilgrims. In 1628 they erected
an eighty foot Maypole; danced, sang, and drank beer (or now a day beverage
of your choice). Does this sound slightly familiar to anyone?
Most information found on the Maypole focuses around the 16th century.
During the time of Henry VIII, May Day celebrations included dramatic
characters that took part in elaborate plays. The events of the day always
concluded with the Morris Maypole Dance done to the tune of "Selliger's
Round". A.C. Crowley described the Maypole dances of England in his book
"The Maypole Dance" (London: Curwen 1891). In 1910, Walter Shaw wrote
"Maypole Dances with Instructions, Songs, and Accompaniments" (London:
Curwen 1910).
The merriment of the Maypole and its celebration met its demise in the
middle 1600's. In 1644 an English Puritan, Phillip Stubbes, influenced the
Parliament to outlaw the celebration because of its lavish behavior calling
it a "stynkyng ydol". Even the Maypole constructed by the Pilgrims met its
fate in 1628 when William Bradford sent out a military party to cut down
the pole and punish its offenders. The 17th century wasn't all bad. In
1660 the Maypole was restored with the largest being erected on May 1, 1661
in London's Strand. It stood a whopping one hundred thirty four feet, and
stood untouched until 1710.
Traditionally, the Maypole was a way to bring people together, whether
family, community, or both. Our ancestors began their Maypole celebration
by going door to door distributing springtime flowers and branches, and
receiving tokens from residents. Reminds me of a springtime trick-or-treat.
Then they would gather in the village square and dance around the erected
pole as they welcomed in the May.
To erect your own Maypole, begin with whatever you are going to use for the
pole. Make sure it is about ¼ longer than the desired height so that it may
be well planted into the ground. An average pole is about 9 feet. Before
erecting your pole, decorate the top with flowers or any greenery you may
choose. Attach ribbons in multiples of four. They should be one and a
half times the height of the pole in length. Traditionally the ribbons
were red and white. Red represented the Sun God or the Mother, and white
represented the Virgin Goddess or the Maiden. Brightly colored ribbons are
commonly used for their magickal attributes as dancers choose a color to
correspond with something they would like to weave into their life. A
floral wreath of entwined flowers may be constructed to fit around the pole
and placed over the ribbons. If you choose to do this make sure the
ribbons are securely attached to the pole and that the wreath is not much
larger than the pole or too heavy. As the dancers stretch out their
ribbons the wreath is raised to the top of the pole and is lowered as the
ribbons become entwined, symbolizing the union of the God and Goddess.
The dance of the Maypole is quite elegant when preformed correctly, however
it is not as easy as it sounds and may take a little practice to get it
right. It is wonderful if you can alternate men and women, however as we
all know this is sometimes very difficult to do. The important thing to
remember is to have an even number of people. Two circles are created ; an
inner and an outer circle. The inner circles faces deosil while the outer
circle faces widdershins. This way the dancers face each other. Now the
fun begins as dancers move their ribbons over the first person they meet
and under the next. Continue dancing and interweaving the ribbons until
the pole is clothed in a colorful array and the ribbons are too short to
dance with anymore. If you have chosen to use a wreath be sure to keep the
ribbons taunt to support the wreath until it has ridden down to the base of
the Maypole.
As we dance the Maypole, we connect the energy of the Earth below and the
Sky above. We welcome the rebirth of the plants that grow in spring. We
bind wishes for our planet, and ourselves and we celebrate with the Lady
and the Lord. So plant a Maypole and join in an age-old rite of Spring.
Copy Writed by the Minnesota Pagan Press/Beltane 1999