May Pole Dancing at Winterborne Stickland Fete 2006

May Pole Dancing at Winterborne Stickland Fete 2006

The most well known symbol of May Day (1st May) is the maypole. The custom of dancing around the maypole is an ancient fertility rite, which is still performed today on village greens and at spring fetes.

The origins of the maypole hark back to ancient times when tree spirits were worshiped and indeed the first maypoles were tall slender trees, usually birch, which had their branches lopped off, leaving just a few at the top to be adorned with garlands and blossom: a far cry from the more elaborate designs of today.

The maypole itself is a phallic symbol representing the planting of the god's phallus into the mother earth's womb, there by illustrating the bringing forth of new life. In addition some maypoles are painted with red and white spiral stripes in much the same way as a barber's pole and this too has sexual meaning: the red representing the female menstrual blood and the white the male semen. The sexual symbolism of the maypole and all the immoral revelry that went along with it led the Puritans to out-law the maypole custom in 1644. However, this prohibition was soon repealed after the restoration of Charles II in 1660. Many towns and parishes erected permanent maypoles in celebration, some boasting 80 or 90 feet! These permanent poles were left to stand throughout the year but only decorated and danced around on May Day.

Dancing around the maypole was once a very merry and frivolous affair, yet today's maypole dancing with its colourful ribbons is a relatively modern dance, only dating back to the nineteenth century. However, this new adaptation is now accepted as a very important aspect of the maypole dance. By taking two ribbons and weaving them together the dancers make a new element, thus two makes three representing the sexual union and the offspring.

Discover more Dorset traditions in the book 'Dark Dorset Calendar Customs', by Robert Newland, now available at Amazon.co.uk. Visit the Dark Dorset website, http://www.darkdorset.co.uk or blog http://darkdorset.blogspot.com
and open the door to a world of fascinating folklore and legends.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Winterborne
• Stickland
• Fete
• May
• Day
• Pole
• Folk
• Dancing
• Folklore
• Customs
• Dark
• Dorset
• Darkdorset

[damian922006]

pray thee keep our pagans traditions alive blessed be

[22poopoo]

I'm a christian and even I want to keep the pagan traditions alive.

[VivaLaVieBoheme49]

these are so much more fun when u dont know how to do them XD

I know this from experience lolz

[xXeMokiDXxMCRXx]

I used to do this as a child, was one of the best maypole dancers of my school!! I miss it

[Shaestel]

I used to do this when I was younger. Miss it a lot. <3

[FlumblesMum]

How lovely.

[heidisweep]

lovely , was trying to explain to my little girl about the maypole

[ChincoteagueChick]

This is not what I expected when I searched up pole dancing.

Not what I expected at all...

[peacemtn]

Neat

[afroturd]

Look at those kids, so cute! i doubt they realise they are daancing around a DICK.... The good ole pagen pole eh, lol.

[curlyfrieslal]

Wow this sounds like our Carribean May Pole in Nica. But ofcourse without the influence of the Afro-Drums. Same Meaning just different style and music

Beautiful

[alpenfrauchen]

Additional: The last tune is the version named "Jamaica" from Playford 1670. But my first statement was not wrong: the tune has a history in itself, and contains as 2nd part "The Carman´s Whistle".