May Day! May Day!

Old Sarum was an iron age fortress near Stonehenge. May Day celebrations would have been held there,

Mayday! Mayday! from The Magic Nation Day Camp amzn.to/43q2uf1

“I’m just thrilled that Mr. Milson funded a May Day Camp this year,” Isabella Wright said to her husband. Isabella was the director of the town’s summer day camp.

“May Day is on a Saturday this year––that’s perfect for the camp. I noticed quite a few new children signed up. I imagine many parents are using the camp as childcare. It’s not only May Day––it’s also the day of the Kentucky Derby. And some are celebrating Cinco de Mayo that weekend as well,” Mr. Horatio Wright commented.

“Parents might be partying, but that’s OK. The kids will have a great time! We are starting the day at 1:00 and ending after dinner, around 7:30. That way, the Derby and Cinco partygoers can enjoy their events. The Derby runs at approximately 6:30. We’ll have the Derby on the big television screen during dinner.”

“Am I cooking again?” Mr. Wright asked. He was eager to wear his freshly laundered chef jacket.

“You can help. Dr. Roderigo, the chemistry professor, is chef for the day. He’s making special Mexican treats to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

“Remember him? His son, Carlo, is half of ‘Micarlo,’ the two good friends who missed one another when Carlo lived in Mexico.”

“And you helped them communicate with the dream-maker if I recall,” Mr. Wright said rather skeptically.

“Do you remember May Day when we were kids?” asked Mrs. Wright. She was attempting to change the subject.

“It was a big deal with my friends,” she said. “May Day was a way to say goodbye to winter. We had a May Pole on the school playground. At least 30 colored ribbons hung from the top. Our gym class practiced the May Pole Dance for weeks––weaving in and out amongst the ribbons. Sometimes, we ended up with a lovely colorful braid all down the pole. A few times, we messed up, and the result was a tangled cat’s cradle!

“On May Day, girls wore pretty pastel dresses and flowers in their hair. The boys wore white shirts—it was so beautiful.”

“Did you have a May Queen too?”

“Absolutely. She was my best friend. The May Queen did not dance around the pole. She sat in a fancy chair to watch the event. My friend had trouble remembering the dance moves, so she was thrilled to sit instead! After the dance, the boys lifted her up in the chair and walked around the baseball field.”

“My little sister used to pick wildflowers and give them to neighbors. She would place the flowers on doorsteps, ring the bell, and then run away. People loved her for it.”

“It was a big holiday back then. It has amazing traditions and myths from Celtic settlements that go back to prehistoric times. I’ve invited a medieval literature professor to teach the kids about fairies and other mystic May creatures. Too bad the holiday seems to have been forgotten. I wonder why,” said Isabella.

“You will bring it back!” Horatio said with a smile.

Mrs. Wright and the Magic Middle Schoolers planned a variety of events for the day. There was no large pole at the playground. “Maybe we can have one by next year,” thought Mrs. Wright.

Instead of the May Pole Dance, a square dance was in order. “After all,” said Mr. Wright, “they used a variety of May Day dances in Merry Old England.” He agreed to be the caller. “We’ll need bells to tie to the ankles of the dancers,” Mr. Wright mentioned.

A day camp always needs a craft. Since Mother’s Day was coming up, the children were to make fairy gardens for their moms.

“People believed fairies had power in May. Sometimes girls wore fairy wings for May Day,” said Mrs. Wright.

To keep with the fairy theme, girls were handed wings when they arrived. Boys were given leprechaun hats left over from St. Patrick’s Day and bells to tie on their ankles.

“I read that the Irish believe in fairy horses,” said Gabrielle. “Tiny white horses that live near various ancient earth formations. Since it is also Derby Day, maybe the fairy horses will visit us.”

The day began with a short presentation by the college professor of medieval literature. He explained various myths and mystical creatures from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Mrs. Wright was upset with the speaker. He scared a few of the younger children when he talked about Dullahan, the Irish headless horseman.

“I suppose Washington Irving had him in mind when he wrote ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’” she said to the children. “But Dullahan is for Halloween, not May Day!”

“Maybe he did show up one May Day,” a fifth grader said. “Mayday is the call for help. I’d yell ‘Mayday’ if Dullahan followed me!”

Most of the children agreed.

“The mayday distress call does not mean ‘May first,’” explained Mrs. Wright. “It comes from a French phrase, ‘m’aider,’ which means ‘help me.’ It is easy to remember since it sounds like ‘May Day.’ If there were Irish horses on May Day, they were tiny, white fairy horses––smaller than cocker spaniels. They did not carry headless riders. They were not scary.”

Gabrielle looked at Mrs. Wright. Both were afraid the May Day festivities were taking a wrong turn. “I saw a fairy horse over by the craft area,” Gabrielle said. “And it was friendly and beautiful!”

The children breathed sighs of relief as they moved to picnic tables set up for the day’s craft.

“Thanks,” said Mrs. Wright. “Some of the kids were getting scared. I should never have hired that man! I certainly hope he doesn’t return for dinner.”

“I didn’t completely make that up,” said Gabrielle. “I did see something over there. Maybe it was just a shiny cobweb."

“In the shape of a horse?” asked Mrs. Wright.

“Anything is possible,” Gabrielle noted.

The campers grabbed inexpensive clay flower pots already filled with potting soil. Some were round and some were square. Arthur, Tommy, and Joey helped the children plant various small leafed, slow growing plants in the pots.

“Leave space for the decorations,” Tommy said, “and don’t plant things too close together. I’ve been studying all about plants and gardening. I’m going to create a vegetable garden in the back of the playground. We can all enjoy it!”

Various tables, set up in the gazebo, housed the miniature accessories for the gardens. Local craft stores donated the items.

One table was filled with little clay mushrooms, tiny park benches, fairy statues, small houses, and even china birds. Another area contained dollhouse furniture which had been carefully sprayed with lacquer.

“Take what you want,” Mrs. Wright said. “Use your imagination. Please return what you do not use. Most of you will need about five items.”

“I’m making a two-story garden,” said Bruce. “Kind of like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.” His class had recently studied ancient history.

Bruce used two pots, placing the smaller one on top of the larger one. He used a ladder from the dollhouse items to connect the pots. “The fairies can now move up and down,” he said.

“I’m protecting my garden from Dullahan,” said Donald. “It has a fence around it!”

After Donald’s remark, at least six children asked for fencing. One boy built a moat.

Michael and Carlo, better known as Micarlo, made Cinco de Mayo gardens. Inside Carlo’s garden, tiny toy soldiers fought the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. A small band of Mexican fighters defeated the giant French army on May 5, 1862.

Michael’s garden contained a horse-shaped piñata and eight fairy children. “They are celebrating Cinco de Mayo,” he said.

While the children worked on their gardens, Debbie photographed the process for the newspaper. Gabrielle stuck little signs in each garden with the name of the gardener. Once completely finished, Debbie took pictures of each child with his garden.

“My dad will make prints. I’ll have them ready after dinner,” she said. “You can take them home with you.”

“I need things for a horse stable,” said Brian, Joey’s little brother. He left his garden on the table, approached a worker at the dollhouse display, and asked, “Do you have a trough? The fairy horse is hungry.”

The worker pointed to a tiny tin tub. “This should work,” she said.

“I’ll need a saddle and horse blanket too,” said Joey’s brother. “The fairy horse is cold.”

“Is he thirsty?” the lady said. “I’ll give you a well.”

When Debbie photographed Brian and his project, the boy whispered, “I saw the tiny fairy horse. He likes my well. He’s already drinking. See him? He’s right there.”

Debbie looked carefully at the garden. She saw only a barn, silo, windmill, plants, and a tiny well. “What a vivid imagination he has,” she said to herself.

As the children moved on to the square dance, Joey, Arthur, and Tommy carefully carried the fairy gardens to the cafeteria.

Most of the children had never been to a square dance. Mr. Wright learned square dancing in physical education class when he was a child. When the children began moving in the wrong directions, Horatio said, “I guess square dancing went the way of cursive writing.”

He began with a short description of various calls. When he called, “Allemande left with your left hand, a right to your partner and a right and left grand,” kids were scattering all over the dance floor and bumping into one another. The bells sounded more like mayhem than magic.

“Let’s try something easier,” he said. Mr. Wright was convinced some of the children did not know their right from their left. “How about Do Si Do?”

For most of the afternoon, Do Si Do became the basic step. A few of the older children tried promenades. The younger boys simply ran around the outside of the dancers. Little girls picked wildflowers and scattered them around the area.

When someone yelled, “Mayday! Mayday! Watch out for Dullahan,” a few little kids cried and ran to hide behind Mr. Wright.

Horatio Wright was relieved when he heard the dinner bell ring.

Dr. Roderigo was an amazing chef. A buffet of chicken enchiladas, fried avocado tacos, chicken nachos with avocado, and nachos with strawberry and mango salsa appeared on a long table in the center of the cafeteria.

At the end of the line, Dr. Roderigo worked with a special pan to fry dessert crepes topped with fruit and whipped cream.

The Cinco de Mayo dinner was a hit.

At 6:30, the Kentucky Derby appeared on the television. For a few minutes before post time, the announcers chatted about the field. A horse named May Angel was expected to come in last place. “He has the right name for May Day,” said the announcer, “but he’s no mudder. The track’s too wet for that guy.”

A man in a red jacket and black bowler hat played the trumpet call. The band played “My Old Kentucky Home.” Mrs. Wright provided copies of the lyrics and the children sang along.

Eighteen horses paraded the track and went into the starting gates. The last horse entered a few seconds before the bell rang. The starting gates opened; the race began.

The children knew absolutely nothing about horse racing. Since May Angel was an underdog, he became their favorite. “May Angel, May Angel!” they screamed as the horses ran the one and a fourth mile track.

“That’s 10 furlongs,” Mr. Wright said. He was always trying to teach new things. “The race only lasts about two minutes. It’s sometimes called ‘the run for the roses.’”

May Angel, who was slow at the start, suddenly took on a burst of steam and ran next to the favorite.

“Where did he get that speed?” said the professor of medieval literature who had returned to the playground for his free dinner.

“He looks like he’s running away from something!” His voice was dark and creepy.

A photo finish ended the race. May Angel edged out the favorite. Debbie took a photo of the television screen.

May Angel was soon decked with a rose garland.

After dinner, the children retrieved their fairy gardens.

“Who messed up my garden’s fence?” said Donald. “It’s all broken.”

“My fence is messed up too,” said another little boy.

“Where’s Mr. Charlie?” said Donald. “I bet that dog’s the culprit.”

“Mr. Charlie didn’t come today,” said Joey. “He’s at the groomer.”

Four other children also complained. Gabrielle and Tommy quickly repaired the broken fences.

Debbie’s father arrived with the printed photos. Children ran to line up in front of Debbie.

When Donald asked for his picture, Debbie said, “Donald, there’s a funny mark on your picture. Want me to retake it?”

“It’s a horse hoof print!” Donald screamed.

“Mine has one too,” said another of the fence builders. “Dullahan has been in our gardens!”

The professor announced, “Nothing, not even the strongest fence, can stop the headless horseman! Didn’t you see him? He was chasing May Angel. Why do you think that horse ran so fast?”

Debbie grabbed her camera and reviewed her picture of the photo finish. The image flashed on the big television screen.

“No headless horseman,” she said as she pointed to the television, “but there is a tiny white horse sitting right behind the jockey!”

The children ran up to closely examine the photograph. A horse-shaped form, almost like a white veil, hugged the back of the jockey. It was nearly invisible.

“And the fairy horse is still in my picture. He’s living on my farm!” said Brian. He asked Debbie to project the photo for everyone to see. Reluctantly, she clicked on the image.

In his garden, a little white horse was drinking at the well.

“Do you need a ride home?” Horatio asked the professor after all the children had left. “I presume you didn’t drive. Your car isn’t in the lot.”

“My horse is tied up by the gazebo,” said the professor. “Thank Isabella for the dinner. I’ll be back on Halloween.”