I'm sure your first thought here is that May Day was last week, and it's already May 7th. But for folks like me who live in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, May Day is always the first Sunday in May, the day of the May Day Parade and Festival, a tradition that dates back to the 1970's. This year just happens to be the latest that it can possibly fall, with the side effect that it was an absolutely beautiful day.
The May Day Festival is an interesting case of a pagan-ish festival that went mainstream by way of the hippie movement of the 1970's. The parade was originally planned as a Vietnam War protest, but the war ended in 1975 just before the parade was set to take place. The organizers went ahead with the parade anyway, as a progressive demonstration and general celebration of spring. Over the years, the parade and festival have grown to the point where they attract as many as 50,000 spectators, and what's noteworthy is they're not all witches, pagans, or ceremonial magicians. Many are regular folks who like attending a fun spring festival.
So whether you celebrated May Day last week, or joined in the festivities here at Powderhorn Park today, or did both, here's wishing you a happy holiday and what looks to be a glorious spring season here in the Midwest.
The May Day Festival is an interesting case of a pagan-ish festival that went mainstream by way of the hippie movement of the 1970's. The parade was originally planned as a Vietnam War protest, but the war ended in 1975 just before the parade was set to take place. The organizers went ahead with the parade anyway, as a progressive demonstration and general celebration of spring. Over the years, the parade and festival have grown to the point where they attract as many as 50,000 spectators, and what's noteworthy is they're not all witches, pagans, or ceremonial magicians. Many are regular folks who like attending a fun spring festival.
So whether you celebrated May Day last week, or joined in the festivities here at Powderhorn Park today, or did both, here's wishing you a happy holiday and what looks to be a glorious spring season here in the Midwest.
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