In our town May Day is the biggest holiday of the year. At noon there is a parade, led by the Mayor in a white suit, carrying a forked stick laced with Lavender, followed by two figures, the Green Man in ivy and deer horns, and the White Unicorn. Next come several groups of Morris dancers and Musicians dispersed between groups, then ususally a couple to be wed. (This year they came in Renaissance dress, as did their party). The Mini-Morris dancers (young girls in frocks) follow, with Border Morris, college girls dressed as the Muses, the Maypole Bearers and Drums completing the Parade.

This procession goes to a bluff overlooking the river and sets the maypole. Poems are read and there is an annual musical selection which involves a flute and a diggeredoo (quite beautiful, actually). Next the Green Man begins a clogging rythmn on a low wooden table which is then taken up by the Drummers massed around the green. Several additional cloggers take part in a welcoming of spring.

The Mini-Morris do a dance with flower garlands which they give to strangers in the crowd. Then the wedding takes place at the Maypole (this year, Unitarian). Next comes a Renaissance morality play done by a group of young actors from the local college, called the "Rude Mechanicals", which always invoves the children in booing and cheering the participants.

Then the Maypole is woven to music, using light green and dark green ribbons for the unattached males, and lavender and dark purple ribbons for the girls. As the dancers move towards each other, weaving in and out, the crowd watches to see the eveness of the weave on the pole, which portends good things.

Later there is a Morris Ale, and still later, a potluck dinner and contra dance. All in all, a wonderful day