MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

How could we have forgotten America's most important holiday? MAY DAY! Wouldn't you have loved to gather round the maypole with home made brewskies throwing ribbons everywhere!? How did this day get overlooked?

Mayday is awesome because it usually coincides with celebration of the labour movement. Given that we are all very blue-collar types, we must not forget our union roots. In fact, I am thinking of starting a union. Either - Wormtown: The Labour Union or The Epicenter United, in celebration of the holiday. I bet that mayday is Worcester's unanimous choice for "best day
ever."

Also, Mayday encourages ding-dong-ditch. I haven't played this game since middle school, when I would go to large apartment buildings and ring all the bells at once. It was fun to hear about 20 people yell at you when you run away. Ding-Dong-Ditch on mayday occurs through "may- baskets." These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The basket giver would ring the bell and run away. Sounds pretty awesome right? It's like if Santa were slightly cooler.

Perhaps the best part of may day is that it gives one an excuse to run around yelling "MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" According to the ever-reliable wikipedia, mayday derives from the french enez m'aider, meaning 'come help me'. On Mayday, cops and firefighters must be really confused. I bet they have to change their emergency code.

Also, for the laundromat enthusiasts, Maytag is a term used to refer to the tags that one wears on mayday. The company decided to rip this off to exploit everyone's love of the holiday for the purpose of selling more units of washing machines.

Corn, is traditionally eaten on Mayday. "Maize" is the American Indian word for corn because it is harvested in May. Because Indians are heavily involved in labour movements, they have managed to incorporate the eating of Corn on Mayday. The Corn is traditionally prepared with Mayonaiise because it also has "May" in its name.

After the traditional feast of Corn and Mayonaisse, celebrations usually continue by tying a virgin to the maypole with pastel colored ribbons. The pastels represent spring and the virgin represents the purity of the summer to be. The virgin is usually covered in Mayonaisse but this is only an optional tradition celebrated mostly in the Adirondacks.

Perhaps of all places, Mayday is most celebrated at the May Institute in Randolf, MA. The institute, founded to the Aid the education of children aflicted with Autism, LOVES Mayday-- I mean FRIKKIN' WILE'S OUT ON MAYDAY. Here is an image:


While we may not have celebrated this year, next mayday is only 363 days away. If anyone wants to celebrate early give me a call.