Beltane, the Gaelic May Day festival, traditionally occurs on the 1st of May, which is about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

According to Wikipedia, "Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were held at that time to protect them from harm, both natural and supernatural, and this mainly involved the "symbolic use of fire". There were also rituals to protect crops, dairy products and people, and to encourage growth. The aos si (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane...and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them."

I recall a May Day when I was still pre-school age. My dad and I took a little basket of candies to a neighbor's house where he told me to hang it on the door, knock and then run to hide. I didn't understand why, but it stuck in my memory and returned this morning, lo these many years later. 

A google query brought up this quote from the St Joseph (MI) Herald dated May 6, 1886, "little folks observed May Basket Day custom in hanging pretty baskets to door knobs." I guess we were still doing that in South Dakota 70 years later.

Flash forward to the early 2000s: I recall traveling in Europe in late April and being flummoxed on May 1 when the little German town where we'd spent the night was overwhelmed by crowds of people and a parade. They were celebrating International Workers' Day,

Do you have a May Day memory? Maybe you danced around a maypole at school?

However you do it, today is a good time to celebrate the return of spring.