_MAY GAMES._
All lovers' hearts that are in care
To their ladies they do repair,
In fresh mornings before the day,
Before the day;
And are in mirth aye more and more,
Through gladness of this lovely May,
Through gladness of this lovely May.
_Old Song._
Children's rhymes and songs have been handed down in two principal
ways. First, they have been used for winter amusements, particularly
at the Christmas season,[17] as has from time immemorial been the case
in northern countries; and, secondly, they have been sung as rounds
and dances, especially during summer evenings, upon the village green
or city sidewalk. The latter custom is fast becoming extinct, though
the circling ring of little girls "on the green grass turning" may
now and then be still observed; but a generation since the practice
was common with all classes. The proper time for such sports is the
early summer; and many of our rounds declare themselves in words, as
well as by sentiment, to be the remainder of the ancient May dances.
To render this clear, it will be necessary to give some account of the
May festival; but we shall confine ourselves to customs of which we
can point out relics in our own land. These we can illustrate, without
repeating the descriptions of English writers, from Continental usage,
which was in most respects identical with old English practice.
It was an ancient habit for the young men of a village, on the eve
of the holiday, to go into the forests and select the tallest and
straightest tree which could be found. This was adorned with ribbons
and flowers, brought home with great ceremony, and planted in front
of the church, or at the door of some noted person, where it remained
permanently to form the centre of sports and dances. The May-pole
itself, the songs sung about it, and the maiden who was queen of the
feast, were alike called _May_. In the absence of any classic mention,
the universality of the practice in mediæval Europe, and the common
Latin name, may be taken as proof that similar usages made part of the
festival held about the calends of May--the _Floralia_ or _Majuma_.
Notwithstanding all that has been said about the license of this
festival in the days of the Empire, it is altogether probable that
the essential character of the feast of Flora or Maia was not very
different from its mediæval or modern survival. The abundance of
flowers, the excursions to the mountains, the decoration of houses, and
the very name of Flora, prove that, whatever abuses may have introduced
themselves, and whatever primitive superstitions may have been
intermingled--superstitions to an early time harmless and pure, and
only in the decline of faith the source of offence and corruption--the
population of ancient Italy shared that natural and innocent delight
in the season of blossom which afterwards affected to more conscious
expression Chaucer and Milton.
This "bringing home of summer and May" was symbolic; the tree, dressed
out in garlands, typifying the fertility of the year. As in all such
rites, the songs and dances, of a more or less religious character,
were supposed to have the power of causing the productiveness which
they extolled or represented.[18] These practices, however, were not
merely superstitious; mirth and music expressed the delight of the
human heart, in its simplicity, at the reappearance of verdure and
blossom, and thanksgiving to the generous Bestower, which, so long as
man shall exist on earth, will be instinctively awakened by the bright
opening of the annual drama. Superstition has been the support about
which poetry has twined: it is a common mistake of investigators to
be content with pointing out the former, and overlooking the coeval
existence of the latter. Thus the natural mirth and merriment of
the season blended with the supposed efficacy of the rite; and the
primitive character of the ring-dance appears to be the circle about
the sacred tree in honor of the period of bloom.
A relic, though a trifling one, of the ancient custom, may be seen
in some of our cities on the early days of the month. In New York,
at least, groups of children may then be observed carrying through
the streets a pole painted with gay stripes, ribbons depending from
its top, which are held at the end by members of the little company.
These proceed, perhaps, to the Central Park, where they conduct their
festivities, forming the ring, and playing games which are included
in our collection. Within a few years, however, these afternoon
expeditions have become rare.
The May-pole, as we have described it, belonged to the village; but
a like usage was kept up by individuals. It was the duty of every
lover to go into the woods on the eve or early morn of May-day, and
bring thence boughs and garlands, which he either planted before the
door of his mistress, or affixed thereto, according to local custom.
The particular tree, or _bush_ (this expression meaning no more than
bough), preferred for the purpose was the hawthorn, which is properly
the tree of May, as blooming in the month the name of which it has in
many countries received. A belief in the protective influence of the
_white-thorn_, when attached to the house-door, dates back to Roman
times. The May-tree, whatever its species, was often adorned with
ribbons and silk, with fruit or birds, sometimes with written poems.
The lover brought his offering at early dawn, and it was the duty of
his mistress to be present at her window and receive it; thus we have
in a song of the fifteenth or sixteenth century from the Netherlands--
Fair maiden, lie you still asleep,
And let the morning go?
Arise, arise, accept the May,
That stands here all a-blow.