Maypole Dance

Originally a pagan custom, on the First of May women would dance around the maypole (a wooden pole in the ground that rises anywhere from six to 60 feet) to celebrate sex and fertility. Today, the tradition has transformed so that dancers, usually children, wrap ribbons in different patterns around the pole while dancing and singing in celebration of May Day. Although several western European countries have a similar maypole ritual, the celebration in the United Kingdom is considered the largest and most established.