Although Old Man Winter seemed to have dug his claws in and Lady Spring was barely fighting her way through the clouds, it’s easy to see how this saga, played out year-after-year, still manages to grasp our attention so closely.
For many of us, our snowshoes, skis, or snowmobiles have been packed away for a while, and we were only cautiously bringing out our bicycles, four-wheelers, or motorcycles ahead of the first day of May. Indeed, what activities we do outside, or rather how we interact with the great outdoors in general, is indicative of the struggle that we Northern land animals have been up against since we encountered our first snowfall. But the battle for summer is almost won, and although long days laying on the beach still seem far away, May Day remains the perfect opportunity to celebrate the turning of the tides.
Although not necessarily tied to the worship of a specific deity or spirit, May Day (or Beltane) observed on 1 May, is celebrated in many cultures in the Northern hemisphere as the start of summer in the older, two-season reckoning, or a half-way point between the spring equinox and summer solstice in modern reckoning. The Borden pagan community celebrated May Day in attempt to revive ancient traditions whilst infusing and creating our own.
Our community, mainly comprised of Asatruars but open to all traditions, is fledgling. For instance, we were well-aware of the traditional dressing of the May pole, but none of us had actually danced a May pole before. After a moment of mass confusion on how to start, we went back to basics and resorted to impromptu drill commands to get the dance going. Much like our fledgling community itself, it was a rocky start but picked up grace and momentum.
The weather was a small blessing as well. Although the wind blew enough to require small adaptations, the gods could have been much crueler. May Day marked the end of a late-April cold spell and the start of truly warm weather, and the tail end of the celebration itself was met with the gentlest of rain. In our eyes, that was a blessing from the Thunder God; a sign that our offerings and prayers were being accepted.
The Midsummer Festival will take place 24 June. For more information on the Base Borden Pagan Community and future celebrations, please visit Facebook.com/BaseBordenPaganCommunity.
By: Capt Aidan J. Solar, CD
(Photos: MCpl Brandon Liddy)
