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Have you ever danced around the Maypole?

From the lens Enjoy the Maypole Dance.

  • barb bombardir May 28, 2012 @ 12:53 am | delete
    OH YES!! Back in the 60's. It is still a tradition today in the old elementary school I went to. I still live in the same neighborhood, and watch the parade and festivities.
  • veryirie May 4, 2012 @ 5:23 am | delete
    Many, many moons ago. :) Here in Hawaii, my kids took part in a special Lei Day ceremony at the beginning of May.
  • Momtothezoo May 1, 2012 @ 9:05 am | delete
    Oh, almost forgot...when we finished the last dance, we lifted the new 8 inch, rainbow colored, ribbons high in the air as the audiance joined us in singing Over The Rainbow...quite a moment in time! :)
  • Momtothezoo May 1, 2012 @ 8:59 am | delete
    Joan, I looked forward to the May Day Programs all year long when I was in elementary school. The year we danced the May Pole in 1962 was the year they bought a brand new pole and ribbons at Pendleton. We were so proud and did not make one single mistake...it was beautiful. Thanks for the memory!
  • Joan4 May 1, 2012 @ 10:50 am | delete
    Pendleton did us all a great service providing those May Day Dance celebrations, didn't they? I always figured everybody did that! Amazing that somehow we had that tradition in Pendleton. And I think every child looked forward to being old enough to dance the Maypole!
  • JoyfulPamela May 1, 2012 @ 7:38 am | delete
    I never danced around the Maypole in a May celebration, but when I was in college as a music major I took a dance class for musicians to teach us how to dance to some of the music we were making. Let's just say that our pole did not end up wrapped in the way it should have, but we sure had a lot of fun anyway! =D
  • mcgilwriter May 1, 2012 @ 7:27 am | delete
    We never did the May pole when I was in school, but I read about it. Thanks for the interesting lens!
  • Patricia (New Jersey) May 1, 2012 @ 7:08 am | delete
    Yes, I use to dance around the Maypole in first grade. We all went to the play area and there was a large pole with ribbons. We sang and dance..what memories. early 1950's.
  • Bryan Dec 12, 2011 @ 8:51 am | delete
    Maypole Dancing has had a bit of a revival for all sorts of reasons to do with a greater awareness of our own culture and the sheer enjoyment by dancers and audience alike. http://www.whatisall.com/beliefs-and-traditions/what-is-maypole-dancing.html
  • joanv334 Feb 14, 2011 @ 5:20 pm | delete
    Hello, loved your lens!
  • Magical One May 3, 2010 @ 12:29 am | delete
    I just danced around the Maypole for the 5th grade's part in the Aikahi May Day celebration.
  • hehe Jan 21, 2011 @ 11:21 am | delete
    What's your elementary graduation year?
  • KathyMcGraw Apr 21, 2010 @ 12:31 pm | delete
    I sure do remember dancing around the Maypole, and I absolutely agree with teaching our kids and grandkids this fun tradition. Highlighted on my FB page in hopes more people will remember too :)
  • LoKackl Apr 20, 2010 @ 6:55 am | delete
    It's almost May - a good time to prepare a Maypole! eh?
  • bethd821 Apr 4, 2010 @ 10:32 am | delete
    Never danced around the May Pole, but have heard of it. Super lens.
  • Michey Mar 27, 2010 @ 4:14 pm | delete
    I have to confess I never heard of pol dancing, but I am learning. Now you are the teacher...
    Thanks
    Joan
  • Momtothezoo May 1, 2012 @ 9:01 am | delete
    Oh, Michey, you'd really enjoy it...so much fun to dance or to watch! But there are three patterns, that I know of, which you must weave as you dance...tricky. You have to really watch what you are doing.
  • WhitePineLane Oct 18, 2009 @ 11:13 am | delete
    There's Maypole dancing every year at the Land of the Loon Festival near our cabin in northern Minnesota! It's great fun!
  • grannysage Sep 2, 2009 @ 8:23 pm | delete
    Ah yes, mylady, we dance the Maypole at out Beltane celebrations. You are right about it being a fertility rite, sometimes the lads and lassies get a wee bit carried away!
  • Gill N. Aug 20, 2009 @ 9:26 am | delete
    I have just been reminded of my maypole days by an Indian display of Maypole Dancing in Hyde Park at a festival. I was a fifties child in a West Riding School in Yorkshire, where we always celebrated May Day with a May Queen and country dancing, which we practised all year. It was always a special occasion, and I still have some photos.
  • JaguarJulie Aug 13, 2009 @ 2:49 pm | delete
    Do you know that I was just contemplating the maypole dance? And, wondering if they still do this?
  • spirituality May 15, 2009 @ 10:02 am | delete
    Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
  • ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Apr 15, 2010 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    WTF?!?!!??!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!??!?
  • Minda May 11, 2009 @ 8:18 pm | in reply to stargazer00 | delete
    It is really a beautiful sight to see the Maypole done with the different colored streamers swaying the breeze. The videos just don't do it justice.
  • ????? Apr 15, 2010 @ 4:10 pm | delete
    gay fuck >:p
  • stargazer00 Apr 26, 2009 @ 1:40 pm | delete
    I've heard of it but never actually seen it done. Looks like a beautiful tradition. Love the photos of your class!
  • CCGAL Apr 19, 2009 @ 7:12 am | delete
    This was my first exposure outside of books to the Maypole dance. I'd seen something similar at a small renfest, but they didn't wrap the pole; the ribbons rotated with the dancers there. Way cool lens!
  • MsSnow4a Apr 2, 2009 @ 4:21 pm | delete
    Hi joan, Nice lens about Maypoles. hehe. Must be a great month. May that is lol I have not danced around a maypole that I can remember. Maybe someday :)
  • Tiddledeewinks Mar 30, 2009 @ 3:34 pm | delete
    Never done it before. Wish we had more of the "olden" days things like that. There seems to be some things of yesteryear returning now though.
  • julcal Mar 13, 2009 @ 11:13 am | delete
    Oh, I had forgotten about this tradition, thanks for the sweet reminder ! 5*
  • sittonbull Feb 23, 2009 @ 11:00 pm | delete
    "Confessions of a male teenage pole dancer" would not read nearly as exciting as it sounds! I remember it was required curriculum in grade school on May Day!
    You can rest assured I would have a lot more "fun" with it today, but was not too enthused about it then!
  • OhMe Feb 23, 2009 @ 10:23 am | in reply to GrowWear | delete
    Can you believe that the one photo we found was one of Joan's 4th grade class dancing the May Pole? Amazing
  • GrowWear Feb 18, 2009 @ 4:43 pm | delete
    Such a nice remembrance, Joan. Love the 1953 photo!
  • OhMe Feb 13, 2009 @ 2:25 pm | delete
    Welcome to the South Carolina Group
  • OhMe Jan 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm | delete
    Oh Joan, I remember it like it was yesterday, too. Our class did it to the music "Sugar in the morning, Sugar in the evening, Sugar at supertime. Be my little Sugar and love me all the time". The theme was the 48 states. lol and we were Texas and my partner, Scott Peterson, and I had to wear Lavender Gingham. I never did like that color and my partner certainly didn't. lol
  • mukunda22 Jan 30, 2009 @ 5:30 pm | delete
    Isn't the May Pole dance associated with May Day?

    Faved and high fived!!
  • Joan4 Jan 30, 2009 @ 4:40 pm | in reply to Evelyn_Saenz | delete
    oh flowers and fiddlers!!!!!! I love it! wonderful!
  • Joan4 Jan 30, 2009 @ 4:37 pm | in reply to Charlyjl | delete
    lol Charly! I got excited and did it about 4 months early. It is a traditional spring dance, first of May! I just had so much fun watching that first video and remembering it, that I just went ahead and shared! Thanks for visiting!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 30, 2009 @ 4:30 pm | delete
    When we homeschooled in Boston we always danced the Maypole. We helped the kids string flowers to wear in their hair and had a few fiddlers play the music for us. We had a wonderful time with children, teens and adults all joining in.

    Thank you, Joan for the memories.
  • Charlyjl Jan 30, 2009 @ 4:28 pm | delete
    We don't do the Maypole Dance here. I've certainly seen it performed though. Maybe it's because it's Winter here!
  • KathrynGrayson Jan 30, 2009 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    too neat! great lens Mom! I need to learn to Maypole Dance!
  • jimmy two shoes Apr 15, 2010 @ 4:12 pm | delete
    omfg thats your mom?!?!? wtf?!?! asshole

by

Joan4

A maypole dance celebration is a delightful way to welcome spring! Whether your celebration is simple or very fancy, the most important thing is to... more »

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