The May Queen

Halfway between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice lies the first of May. It was on the first of May that the summer began, according to the medieval Northern Europeans who followed the Celtic calendar. For Wiccans and many other pagans, Beltane hosts the annual battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. Each spring, the May Queen arises from her winter slumber and battles the Queen of Winter. Upon her victory, the Crone is sent away for another six months so the earth can become rich and plentiful with both flora and fauna.

The concept of a May Queen is rooted in early spring celebrations where the crops people planted began to spring forth from the ground, ensuring life would continue to thrive. The May Queen represents fertility and flowers. For she is the flora, the Maiden, the earth in all its glory as the vegetation springs forth and the blushing young bride steps forward. She is the goddess of flowers and the princess of the Fae. It is in her that hope springs eternal. And as the wheel of the year turns towards the heat of summer and the bounty of the earth spills forth, the May Queen moves through her own cycles from Maiden to Mother.

May Day also has its roots in a variety of different cultural celebrations. The ancient Greeks celebrated and honored Rhea during their annual spring festival. Rhea was the Titaness, considered the mother of the first gods as well as several other Olympians. Not much is known about her celebrations during this time, but we do know she was called the Queen of Heaven. She was later identified with the Phrygian goddess Cybele, and much more is known about this celebration.

At the center of the Roman festival Hilaria, sat Cybele and her son/lover Attis. During this festival, a pine tree representing Attis was cut and stripped of its branches. It was then wrapped like a mummy in linen and decorated with violets. Violets were chosen because they sprung forth from the blood of Attis. As Attis, the pine tree was brought to Cybele’s temple and mourned for several days, called the blood days. The tree was symbolically buried in a tomb, and then on the day of Hilaria, Attis was resurrected and rose from his death out of the tree. He was reunited with Cybele as the symbol of the start of spring. The pine tree was erected in front of the temple, and people celebrated around it, much like the modern maypole.

Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers and spring, married Zephyros, the wild west wind, and for a wedding gift, he filled the fields with flowers by bringing rain to nourish the plants. Chloris, also known as Flora, holds jurisdiction over the spreading of flower seeds all over the world, as until she started spreading her seeds, the world was monochromatic. In the late 3rd century BCE, the Romans created a festival to honor her. During Floralia, a statue of the goddess was carried in a procession, people participated in competitive events, and everyone wore colorful clothing symbolizing the flowers and spring.

Over time, May Day rituals evolved from their ancient Greek roots into a different type of celebration. In Germany, May Day eve is called Hexenacht. It is the night when the witches were thought to gather on the highest peak of the Harz Mountains to form their evil plans. Their plans were always foiled the next day when people performed the May Day rituals of spring.

The May Day rituals would begin on May Day eve with giant bonfires that supposedly had the power to avert evil influences or bad luck. During the night, both girls and boys would go into the forest and gather flowers for garlands as well as a tree trunk. The next morning, the youth would erect the tree trunk, which was used as a maypole. They would then go around town decorating the houses with the flowers they gathered while singing songs. Some of the children would carry a May Doll or a statue of the May Queen with them. Later in the day, dancing and festivities would center around the maypole, namely a mock battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen would reign victorious and be crowned alongside the Green Man covered in foliage.

In England, May Day customs evolved to include a procession in which people went door to door in a village carrying boughs and branches so the villagers could ask for the blessings of a bountiful crop. As the god of growth resided in them, he was brought to each house to bestow blessings on the people of the community. These processions were held in high regard and with great seriousness as they had a strong sacramental significance within the community.

While May fairs and festivals have been held for hundreds of years, the concept of choosing a May Queen from the village maidens is relatively recent. In the French province of Bresse, a village girl was selected to be the May Queen, and she was adorned with flowers and ribbons. Choosing a May Queen is not a requirement for May Day celebrations, but the personification of the goddess walking through the streets or in a dramaturgical reenactment brings a sense of renewal and embodiment to the coming of spring.

Historically, the coming of spring meant that the dangers of winter had subsided, and the earth once again would produce the sustenance needed to sustain life. As the animals began to once again increase their numbers and the plants pushed through the ground to create the bounty of the harvest, May Day was a time to rejoice in the turning of the seasons and the return of the sun and warmth. It is with this in mind that cultures throughout history have celebrated this time of year.