Wales has a wealth of May Day customs, superstitions and traditions that go back to the time of the Druids, such as the lighting of fires for Beli Mawr, Cetic god of Fire and sun, purification, science, fertility, crops and success, that were very much associated with the first of May, known as the festival of Beltaine
Calan Mai or Calan Haf, the first day of May was an important time for celebration and festivities in Wales as it was considered to be the start of sum
mer.
'Spirit nights', or ysprydnos, took place on May Eve. It was a nights when the world of the supernatural was closest to the real world.
Villagers would gather hawthorn branches and flowers to decorate the outside of their houses .to celebrate the new growth and fertility of the new season, but It was believed to be unlucky to bring them into the house
The maypole was an important part of Welsh May Day tradition. in south Wales it was called 'codi'r fedwen', 'raising the birch' ,The maypole was painted different colours and the dancers would wrap ribbons around it, then it would be raised and the dancing would begin. In north Wales it was called 'y gangen haf', the summer branch, which was often decorated with silver watches, spoons, and vessels borrowed from the people in the village and young men dressed in white and decorated with ribbons would sing and dance around it as it was carried by another man called the Cadi.
In Ireland May flowers were picked on the evening before May Day and this was often done by children who went garlanding for flowers. These were sometimes assembled together to make posies or crowns. Yellow flowers, such as primroses, buttercups and marigolds were especially popular, possibly as they reflected the sun and summer. Furze and ferns were also put around the outside of the home.
The flowers were placed on the doorsteps of houses and on windowsills. They were believed to offer luck to the house and offer protection from mystical forces - there was a strongly held belief that these were particularly active around the quarterly days.
The tradition of spreading flowers at thresholds was most common in the northern half of Ireland, especially south Ulster. Throughout Ireland, there is a strong tradition of formally showing welcome, through the spreading of rushes.
Children often carried baskets of flowers and strew them in front of their neighbours’ homes as a gesture of goodwill and good luck.
Herbs gathered before sunrise on May Day were believed to have particularly effective curative properties.
The Flowers were also used for crowning the May Queen. The tradition of selecting a Queen of May is found throughout Europe and may have associations with the ancient Roman Goddess, Flora.
Like the May Poles, this tradition was more popular in large towns. It was often accompanied by a procession and sports and festivities. In some parts of Ulster, a King was chosen, along with the Queen.
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