The Importance of May Day
It is the first of May and many people are relishing the idea that they have an additional day off on Monday. The necessity for rest and relaxation can not be underestimated for our health and well being both physical and medical.
In this blog, I want to look at the meaning behind the day. For a society to survive we must have our rituals as well as our special days. In an increased fast paced forward facing world we sometimes to forget to look backwards to see where we come from. What better example of this than May Day.
It’s history began in Roman times where it was a celebration of the goddess of flowers, which of course makes sense as “April showers bring May flowers.”After the Romans, the Christians took over the day to celebrate the “Crowning of Mary”.
The International Labour movement took over the day to be “International Workers’ Day” in the late 19th Century. Finally, under the Labour Government in 1978 it was made into a Bank Holiday.
So, I hear you ask “What does that have to do with mental health?” Simple, identity is essential in good mental health, understanding why we celebrate the things we celebrate adds to our social as well as our individual identity. So please enjoy the day.
