The Early May Bank Holiday 2023 – All You Need to Know

Maypole ribbons flutter in the breeze. Source: Jan Kopriva / unsplash

What is the Early May Bank Holiday?

The early May bank holiday was only officially created in 1978, and in the UK takes place on the first Monday of May. It’s often called the May Day holiday, but it doesn’t always fall on 1 May itself. The early May bank holiday 2023, however, will be on the first of the month, because it will be a Monday.

Although the bank holiday is a relatively recent creation, many of the traditions associated with the day stretch back into the mists of time.

The day falls at the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The former is the day of the year when the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are of equal length. The solstice is when the sun is at its highest position in the sky, and we receive the longest period of daylight.

May Day’s position in between these two important dates on the calendar made it significant for several of the ancient cultures that populated the British Isles. The northern Celts celebrated it as Beltane, the Welsh as Calan Mai, the Romans as Floralia; today, the celebrations of May Day in Britain bear the hallmarks of each of these fascinating cultures.

Keep reading to discover how the rites and rituals of the ancient Britons live on in the festivities of May Day today!

Women garlanded with May Day flowers. Source: David Biscuso / unsplash

The Date and Day of the Early May Bank Holiday 2023

It’s the first public holiday after the Easter break, which takes place on 7 – 10 Apr 2023. So it’s just a few weeks back at work before you can enjoy your next holiday!

A holiday at the beginning of May has been celebrated as far back as the Roman Republic, where the Floralia festival was dedicated – naturally – to the goddess of flowers. It was a festival for the commoners of Rome, the plebians, and included theatre, games, a lot of flowers, and even a tight-rope walking elephant!

The Teutons in later times celebrated the beginning of May (the beginning of summer!) with Walpurgis Night, which often featured Halloween-style dressing up, as wellas fireworks, dancing, and loud music. The Celts, too, had their festival Beltane, which involved a lot of feasting and jumping over bonfires…

Everywhere that the early May holiday has been celebrated, whether by pagan or Christian, whether by Roman, Teuton or Celt, it has retained common themes and meanings. As the opening of the summer, May Day has been an important celebration of youth, beauty, fun and games, flowers and nature, by the common people and for the common people.

Even today it hasn’t lost these particular charms – the start of May is a great time of year, and the early May bank holiday 2023 will be no different!

The tradition of the maypole. Source: Social History Archive / unsplash

How to Make the Most of Your Early May Bank Holiday 2023

An important ritual of any holiday in the UK is carefully planning your annual leave, so as to max out your time away from the office!

Of course, a long weekend is long enough for a brief getaway, a city break maybe to somewhere convenient like Dublin, Edinburgh, or even Paris. But if you’re keen for a longer stretch, you can combine the early May bank holiday 2023 with some of your annual leave. The benefits are significant!

For example, if you use 4 days of annual leave to take a holiday from Tuesday 2 May to Friday 5 May, you’ll be able to enjoy 9 days in a row off work. This obviously opens up so many more avenues of possibility! Take a week somewhere nice to catch some early-summer sun – maybe Faro in the Algarve or Nice in the south of France? Or perhaps check out the ultra-hip Berlin, or the sophisticated Copenhagen.

The possibilities are endless – whatever your desire, if you’re smart you’ll have grabbed 9 days off. If you’re extra smart, you’ll let Trip.com help you figure out how to use them!

Stay ahead of the pack by browsing what Trip.com has to offer – flights to Paris, great hotels in Edinburgh, tours in London, restaurants in Istanbul…the list goes on.

In traditional May Day costume... Source: Kai Bossom / unsplash

Origin and History of the Early May Bank Holiday

May Day in Britain brings to mind nostalgic images of ‘Merry England’ – jolly, revelling peasants, feasting and drinking, Morris dancing in their wooden clogs and leaping around a maypole festooned with flowers.

This bucolic, pastoral form of life and ritual has become increasingly rare in the modern world, and newer traditions have been grafted on top of the ancient celebration of summer’s arrival. But if it’s the good, old-fashioned May Day theatrics you’re seeking for the early May bank holiday 2023, you’ll still be able to find festivities to enjoy! Read on to find out where…

As we’ve mentioned, May Day has its origins deep in British, Irish and European history. The Celtic May festival Beltane, for example, can be dated back at least to the year 900. The cow was an important and symbolic animal in Celtic life, and the Beltane festival was conducted to bless and protect the cows before they were driven out to summer pastures.

The fires of Beltane. Source: Ihor Malytskyi / unsplash

Traditional Activities on the Early May Bank Holiday 2023

Although the British way of life has changed considerably since the Romans were celebrating early May, and the Celts were lighting their bonfires, there are still several opportunities to participate in traditional May Day activities.

One of the best of those opportunities is at the Green Man Festival in Clun, Shropshire. There you’ll be able to witness eye-catching May Day costumes and theatre, with the Green Man himself dressed in the foliage of summer. While he defeats the Ice Queen and brings summer to the picturesque Clun Valley, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy many other traditional May Day festivities – music, maypoles, magic and Morris dancing.

The maypole is probably the best-known symbol of traditional May Day celebrations, and will feature prominently in traditional gatherings over the early May bank holiday 2023. It is a long wooden pole erected upright, around which the maypole dance takes place.

Pairs of boys and girls will stand around the maypole, each holding a ribbon attached to the top of the pole. They will weave in and out amongst one another, until the ribbons are all woven together at the base of the pole. The precise symbolism of the maypole has been lost, but still the custom forms a central aspect to the traditional activities of May Day.

Morris dancing itself is a well-preserved relic of traditional English folk culture. Somewhat amusing in appearance to the modern eye, it is comprised of elaborate uniforms and rhythmic movements accompanied by sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs. On the early May bank holiday 2023, you’ll find such dances at traditional events.

If you like the sound of that, there’s no better place to be than at the Rochester Sweeps Festival. For 3 days including the early May bank holiday 2023, Rochester in the south of England will be transformed by the arrival of Morris dancing groups from all over the country.

There will be live folk music and dance, as well as walking tours and artwork installations. You’ll also meet one of the other colorful characters of traditional May Day celebrations – Jack-in-the-Green. This is a person covered in a framework of green foliage who is awakened by the dancers and paraded through the streets, starting at dawn at Rochester Castle and continuing through the streets of the town.

Further north you’ll find a revitalized Celtic festival being celebrated from 30 Apr to 1 May at Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival. Featuring fire dancing, body paint, and music, it will be a long weekend of pagan frolicking.

One thing you’ll see here is the May Queen – a personification of the May holiday dressed in white to symbolize purity and decorated with garlands of flowers. She will officially announce the end of spring and the beginning of summer – there’s no better excuse for a party!

From all of this, you can see that the May Day celebrations are some of the most unique, diverse, and colorful festivities that the UK has to offer. All across the country you’ll find glimpses into our pagan past, and a timely reminder of the importance of community and harmony between man and nature.

Morris dancers in full regalia. Source: Kai Bossom / unsplash

New Activities on the Early May Bank Holiday 2023

Organized by UK’s various trade unions, in cities like Manchester, Liverpool, London, and Birmingham, there will be speeches, music, and a festival atmosphere. The colorful banners and the marches will bring the common people together in a new way on the early May bank holiday 2023.

And if you book your days off wisely, and use the time to venture a little further afield, you’ll see these vibrant parades in cities across Europe and indeed around the world.

Folk will come from all over Italy and around the world to see a full programme of Italian and foreign musicians, often featuring some of the very biggest global names. It takes place in front of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, and the best thing is – admission is free!

Another city that you’ll find has a great party atmosphere on May Day is Berlin. Kreuzberg is the district where it all goes down – speeches and chants, open-air raves, and food vendors galore help to turn this into a great time with a political edge.

One great place to enjoy on May Day in Berlin is Gorlitzer Park, where people will congregate to enjoy the sun and some great dance music. So you don’t even have to be politically inclined to enjoy the early May bank holiday in Berlin – if cheap beer, German sausage, and a day of thumping techno music sound good, there’s no better place to be!

You can even take the opportunity to have a private tour of alternative Berlin – that way you’ll really see a side of the city you didn’t expect…

Celebrating the ancient traditions of May Day. Source: Museums Victoria / unsplash

The Early May Bank Holiday 2023 – a Riotous Gateway to the Summer

No matter what you’re seeking – be it traditional dancing, bonfires, and theatre performances, or strong expressions of community solidarity along with some of the best new music – you’ll find it over the early May bank holiday 2023.

No matter whether you’re looking for local activities, for a city break in the UK, or for a week away somewhere more exotic, you can make the early May bank holiday 2023 work for you. And Trip.com, of course, is here to help you do that.

Jack-in-the-Green awakes... Source: Kai Bossom / unsplash

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