A Maypole with no ribbons?
Friends,
I had pictured the perfect Maypole set up for my backyard. I was heading to Home Depot to get the right size pole (it’s frowned on to cut a perfectly good tree down) and then on to Michael’s to get an array of ribbons—blues, greens, reds, yellows, and purples—something to distract the eye from the horrible yellow and green that my house is currently painted.
Ribbons scream spring if you ask me. From Easter to the 4th of July, ribbons and fresh-cut tulips are the staples of our transition out of winter. You can find them on Easter baskets, in crowns of flowers, on every baby chicken, puppy, or kitten, tied in the perfect bow. Hell, even Home Depot ties them around pots of flowers to entice unsuspecting buyers into paying $75.00 for a $20.00 basket of annual flowers.
And finally, you can’t have a Maypole without ribbons.
But then again….
I was surprised to learn that ribbons were never part of the original Maypole celebration. Now, before everyone starts throwing their leftover Easter eggs at me, I have proof based on eyewitness reports. The first recorded evidence of Maypole dancing in Britain dates back to 1350, when it appears that a tall birch pole was erected at Llanidloes in central Wales. However, it is important to note here that historians have suggested that the Maypole celebration might have originated in Germany and traveled to the European Isles courtesy of the invading forces.
But even before that, Anthropologist E.O. James suggests that the Maypole originated in ancient Rome. He suggests that trees were stripped of their leaves and limbs and decorated with ivy, vines, and flowers as part of the Roman spring celebration—the festival of Floralia.
Sounds like fun? Great! I agree. It was so much fun that Puritan religious leaders HAD to come in and tear down the Maypole not only in the U.K. but also in the U.S. There is a story that in 1627, Thomas Morton erected a Maypole in his field, brewed some mead, and invited the whole town to come over for a party. It didn’t go as he expected. Neighbors were appalled and called Myles Standish, a Plymouth leader, to come break up the party.
The Puritan parliament banned celebrations with the Maypole in 1644, along with Christmas (assholes), and none of the traditional pegan celebrations were reintroduced until 1661.
I feel it is important to bring all this up because while ribbons have a long history, they were a specialty garment, not usually bought on massive rolls from the local art and craft store. They were so hard to come by and so expensive that during the 16th century, the English Parliament attempted to make the wearing of ribbons a right of only the nobility.
In other words, no excess ribbons were lying around to decorate a 30-foot pole.
It wasn’t until 1836 that ribbons on a Maypole appeared in JT Haine’s play Richard Plantagenet at the Victoria Theatre in London. As we are all aware, when our favorite actors do something, we tend to all do it. The ribbons on a Maypole were seen as a way to recreate the “nostalgic make believe land of ‘Merrie England.'”
Children of Stadhampton School performing at Chiselhampton House, Oxon, 1st May 1904That brings me to my final thoughts—if you want a Maypole but don’t want to spend $200 on ribbons, then put up your Maypole. It doesn’t have to be 30 feet tall, fancy decorations, or expensive final touches. Hell, for the sake of argument, in this economy, you don’t even need to buy a pole.
All you need is your passion, belief, and open-mindedness to dance in your backyard and say, ‘Welcome Spring.’
Until next time, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.
If you’re looking for your next favorite read, I invite you to check out my book, The Raven Society. This spellbinding historical fantasy series takes us on a heart-pounding journey through forgotten legends and distorted history. Uncover the chilling secrets of mythology and confront the horrifying truths that transformed myths into monstrous realities. How far will you go to learn the truth?
The Writer and The Librarian (Book 1):
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