May Day

:For the distress signal, see: Mayday; For the James Bond villain see May Day (James Bond)

English tradition

Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, celebrating Green Man day and dancing around a Maypole.

Related Topics:
English - Rite - Celebration - Morris dancing - May Queen - Green Man - Maypole

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In Oxford on May Day, many pubs are open from sunrise, and some of the college bars are open all night. Madrigals are still sung from the roof of the tower of Magdalen College, with thousands gathering on Magdalen Bridge to listen. Traditionally, revellers have jumped from the bridge into the River Cherwell below as part of the celebrations with some 100 people having done so in 2005. The river, however, is only 3ft deep in places and more than half of those jumping necessitated some form of medical treatment.

Related Topics:
Oxford - Pub - Madrigal - Magdalen College - Magdalen Bridge - River Cherwell - 2005

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St Andrews has a similar student tradition - the majority of the students gather on the beach late on April 30th and run into the North Sea at sunrise on the 1st, often naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much celebration.

Related Topics:
St Andrews - North Sea

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In more recent years the event has split into two camps (excluding the traditonal celebrations described before). The mainstream workers' movement celebrates May Day on the first Monday after May the first (which may or may not actually occur on 1 May). This day is a bank holiday, and on it small scale rallies are held by political parties (generally including, but not limited to, the Labour Party, the Socialist Workers' Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Communist Party of Britain and other left-wing groups). These occasions are typified by the selling of propaganda materials, and beer tents in parks. The actual date of May 1 generally features rallies and marches organised by anarchist groups, although in recent years these have also involved communist groups (particularly those of the Trotskyist branch).

Related Topics:
Labour Party - Socialist Workers' Party - Scottish Socialist Party - Communist Party of Britain - Propaganda - Beer tent - Anarchist - Trotskyist

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