May Day Traditions Around the World
July 7, 2026
With May upon us, it’s officially time to celebrate May Day customs. A holiday with ancient roots, May Day is observed around the world, often to welcome a change of season.
In places like the United Kingdom, people honor May Day by dancing around the maypole, watching or participating in Morris dancing, and crowning a May Queen, according to British media site, metro.co.uk.
Celebrate with a dance, drink or lei
Maypole dancing is a folk dance from Germany, England and Sweden, according to a historical music group website, historicalharmonies.org. A common form of maypole dancing involves intertwining colored ribbon around the pole. The dancers weave around each other to form a plait with the ribbons. The other version of maypole dancing still includes participants dancing around the pole, but the ribbons are left out.
The historical music group site also said maypoles are believed by historians to have originated in Germanic Pagan fertility rituals. The rituals are from a holiday called Beltane that mixed traditions with Floralia, an old Roman holiday with many similarities. When it comes to fertility, not only is the maypole representative of a phallus, but the ribbons used represent femininity. Also, the point of Beltane is celebrating the sexual union of the Pagan God and Goddess, according to nicoleeveline.com. Because of this, celebrants would have sex to emulate the gods.
Scotland celebrates Beltane, as well as many of today’s Wiccans and Pagans. According to a lifelong learning website, thoughtco.com, Beltane is celebrated with bonfires, maypoles and dancing.
For Finland, May Day is a drinking and party holiday. According to Finnish website, saunalahti.fi, Finland has loud festivals with a carnival atmosphere. It’s a celebration of spring and, if the weather is good, celebrants will enjoy the outdoors on a walk or go for a picnic. Many festivities are held on May Day Eve. The next day, May Day lunch is held at home, restaurants or as a picnic.
Although May Day isn’t celebrated in the United States (besides Beltane festivities held by Pagan groups), Hawaii does have Lei Day, held on May 1. According to travel site, hawaii.com, Lei Day is honored by making leis, watching live music and hula performances, eating food and crowning a Lei Queen. The Lei Queen is decided based on her lei-making skills, hula proficiency and Hawaiian language fluency.