May Day
Summer begins halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
Key words
- Equinox: either of the two occasions in the year when the centre of the sun is directly above the Equator, and day and night are approximately equal in length
They celebrate the autumn equinox.
- Solstice: either of the two times during the year when the sun is farthest from the equator, about June 21st when the sun is farthest north of the equator and about December 22nd when it is farthest south
The summer solstice has the longest days, and the winter solstice has the shortest.
- Procession: a line of people who are all walking or traveling in the same direction, especially in a formal way as part of a religious ceremony or public celebration
The festival will open with a procession led by the mayor.
- all but: almost completely
In some places, bus services have all but disappeared.
- Rallying: causing people to come together in order to support something or make a shared effort
He became a rallying figure for anti-war protesters.
Read the article to find the answers
- When is May Day celebrated?
- Which Roman goddess was celebrated?
- When was maypole dancing forbidden?
- Where does the London May Day demonstration march to?
Bank Holidays
In the United Kingdom, bank holidays refer to all public holidays, including Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
May Day is celebrated on the first Monday in May each year and marks the beginning of summer, halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. International Workers' Day is also called May Day, but the two are unrelated.
May Day Traditions
The earliest known celebration of May was the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. In England, there are many traditional May Day celebrations, some of which have been going on for hundreds of years. They often include wild flowers, and dancing around a maypole.
