May 2012
May festivities
The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is said to be a time of love and romance. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer with lots of different customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. copyright of protectbritain.com
Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole.
http://projectbritain.com/mayday.htm
První den v měsíci květnu je nazýván v angličtině „May Day“. Je to období roku, kdy začíná teplejší počasí a květiny a stromy začínají kvést. Říká se také, že je to čas lásky a romancí. Lidé oslavují příchod léta mnoha tradicemi, vyjadřují tak radost a naději po dlouhé zimě.
K tradicím ve Velké Británii patří May Day včetně Morris Dancing, korunování Královny Máje a tancování okolo májky.
Morris Dancing – A traditional dance seen throughout the month of May is Morris Dancing. It is a traditional English form of folkdancing, performed by groups of men or women. There are several thoughts to the origins of Morris Dancing. The name may refer to the possibility of the form of dancing coming to England from the Moors of North Africa; or it may have been called ‚Moor-ish‘ simply because the dancers sometimes painted their faces black, and people compared this to the dark-skinned Moors.
May Queen
There was dancing on the village green, archery contest and exhibitions of strength. The highlight of the day was the crowning of the May Queen, the human replica of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flower-decked chair to watch her ‚subjects‘.