"but ever since then the romantics have been imagining all sorts of extravagant things involving pagan fertility rites and the like."

well I think the thing is: with The Black Death, The Plague, the Hundred years War - it would be nice to think they did have a BIT of fun, now and again.

I like to think of them running round the glades of Sherwood, in Lincoln green daubed in Wattle and woad, little green mini skirts and showing each other their nuts and waving round their hazel wands in an extravagant fashion. In fact it sounds like decent sort of night out.....