May Day Celebrations

The sun is shining and spring is officially here with the May holiday. Think of May Day and images of May poles and morris dancers are conjured up along a long bank holiday weekend to relax in the warm, spring sunshine. Of course in good old Blighty, the latter is more likely to be spent sheltering under an umbrella while the skies open around you, but the thought is there! But what is the meaning behind the May Day bank holiday?

May Day is a holiday that is celebrated in various guises around the world but here in the United Kingdom, it is a holiday of two faces.  On one hand it honours the labour movement across the globe whilst on the other (and perhaps the one we are more familiar with), is that it is a celebration of spring time and fertility rituals. All across the country, May poles are put up in towns, fetes and parades are held, morris dancers strut their stuff and May queens are crowned!

Traditional celebrations across the country include the Jack in the Green festival in Whitstable where morris dancers parade though the town on May Bank holiday whilst in Oxford, it is traditional for May Morning revelllers to gather below the Great Tower of Magdalen College at 6am to listen to the college choir to sing the traditional madrigals.

In Cornwall, Padstow holds its annual Obby-Oss day of festivities which is believed to be one of the oldest fertility rites in the UK. People dance through the streets and gardens of the town, accompanied by accordion players and followers dressed in white with red or blue sashes who sing the traditional “May Day” song. The whole town is decorated and every year thousands of spectators attend to join in the celebrations.

Whatever you are doing to celebrate May Day, whether you are holding a spring garden party or dancing round a May Pole, here at Girls Party dresses we have the perfect party dress to suit. For a formal occasion one of our party dresses would be ideal, or for aspiring garden fairies, then something like the Dragonfly fairy party dress or Butterfly fairy party dress is just the thing. Or for a May Queen where something extra special is called for then the Sparkle ballgown princess party dress or Sapphire Mist ballgown party dress have that regal touch!

To browse Girls Party Dresses complete range of party dresses and dressing up clothes, click here. We have fairy party dresses, princess party dresses, party shoes, boy's dress up costumes and party dress accessories that will make even the most contrary of little girls and boys dreams come true!  For that perfect girl's occasion dress for a wedding or for a beautiful flowergirl or bridesmaid dress, our sister site henrykaye.co.uk. has styles to suit all tastes and budgets. If you are based in the South East, you can also visit us at our Girls Party Dresses showroom in Sevenoaks. Open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday, we have our whole range of girls party dresses, party shoes and party dress accessories on display for you to browse and order.

To browse all our other party news and ideas, check out our updates and party information pages. We are adding to them all the time so there is always something new to see.

Sapphire mist ballgown party dress (from £49.99)

Olivia party dress (from £54.95)

Dragonfly fairy party dress (from £29.99)