May Day!

May flower blooming in my garden in Germany

It is May 1^st today.  Just sent my son Alex out the door to school this morning.  This is probably the first time in his life he has ever gone to school on this day since May Day (May 1^st) is an official holiday in Europe.  Just sat down with my cup of tea to think about the day and let my mind wander to other years and places where I have spent the first of May.

France:  As most of you know I grew up in France, spending 10 years of my life there (between the ages of 6-16).  In France on May 1 we were allowed to pick the little white flower, lily of the valley, in our local forest. We then bunched them into little bouquets and gave them to our friends and neighbors. It symbolized a “good wish”, a “blessing” for their future.  To me it was a friendly way of telling our friends we cared about them and hoped to get to know them better in the future.

The Peters in their Austria "Tracht"

Austria: Phil and I moved there in 1989 and lived in the beautiful little town of Schladming for 14 years. May Day was a day the May Pole went up in the middle of town.  If I remember correctly the custom there was as follows:  the young men in town erected a 10-meter pole with a “Tannenbaum” attached to the top.  The bottom of the pole was usually surrounded by iron rods so that the neighboring towns’ young men could not come and cut the May Pole down in the middle of the night. Our local boys would stand watch somewhere near the pole on the first night.  I was always glad to wake up and see our little town’s May Pole with its beautiful Tannenbaum still standing tall the next morning.

The German youth on their way to a "Mai-Hock"

May 1st walk with the Canadian cousins

Germany:  In our little area of the Black Forest, where we have spent the last 10 years of our lives, May 1^st was a “walking-hiking-biking day”. Families and friends of all ages would head out sometime in the morning and walk or bike from one little village to another stopping at one of the many “Mai-Hock”s (an outdoor local community food/ beer “fest”) on the way.  A time to get outdoors, enjoy nature and meet up with the neighbors whom you might not have seen all winter.

Phil and I biking up the Blauen

All great memories that bring a big warm smile to my face…

A May visit with friends

So yes, I’m sitting here a little home sick for Europe, for some of you, my dear friends, and those customs that have been part of my life. 

On the other hand I realize how rich and privileged I have been to experience such diversity and different ways cultures choose to celebrate life, friendship, new beginnings, creation… There seems to be in all of us, no matter which country and culture we are from, a desire for traditions that connect our lives with others around us and the creation that God has put us in. I want to embrace this connecting, to see God’s imprints in it and enjoy it to its fullest.  I am also enjoying experiencing new customs, here on the Canadian prairies, in Congo, hopefully some day in South Africa, and who knows where else … !