the definition of May Day | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally

So today is the first of May, also known (in some parts) as May Day. Here’s what Wikipedia says about that:

May Day on May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday;^[1] it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. May Day coincides with International Workers’ Day, and in many countries that celebrate the latter, it may be referred to as “May Day”.

As usual, wherever I go and whatever I find, I learn something new. Here’s what I’m noticing about that introductory paragraph about May Day:

The first day of May is “usually a public holiday”. I guess that means that it’s accustomed and appropriate to celebrate today, in a public way.
According to the ending of that paragraph, it’s okay to put a period (and I assume, also, a comma) outside of quotations marks. I’ve always thought that was a no-no, but I guess I should give myself more leeway — that is, be more accepting of different punctuation options. Notice that I am celebrating that particular freedom in public right now (see the first sentence in #1, directly above).

Now, there IS another definition of “May Day,” as some of you may know.

When I looked that up, I discovered that one is spelled differently. From Wikipedia, again:

Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It may derive from the French expression “venez m’aider”, meaning “come help me”, the last two syllables of which sound similar to “Mayday”. Alternatively, it may have been coined randomly, making the similarity to “m’aidez” coincidental.^[1]

As often occurs, conclusions are controversial. According to that description, either

Mayday derives from the French expression “venez m’aider” or
it doesn’t,

which about covers it.

So, today is May Day. Also, I DO have some urge to yell “Mayday!”*

Why that urge?

It has been friggin’ raining here for days, the weather has been cold, and it’s my favorite time of the year (spring).
Even if it weren’t friggin’ raining, I have friggin’ pneumonia, and every little thing I do is still exhausting.

Which about covers it.

So how shall I celebrate this day? I mean, I really should, whether or not I do that in public.

What would make the day more festive?

Well, I will have fun companions today (who may frolic), including these:

I also have a new, beautiful gift I may enjoy, given to me yesterday by my long-time friend, Deb:

Now, while Deb seems to be showing off Michael’s Tony the Tiger mug (which contains our favorite tea, Bengal Spice) (which also has a tiger on the packaging), the gift she brought is in the lower right of that photo. It’s a little blue vase which Deb created, in a glass-blowing class. Which I find mind-blowing.

And definitely something I may celebrate, on this May Day.

Thanks to Deb, to tigers everywhere, to Celestial Seasonings (for the tea), to those who may celebrate May Day, and to you — but of course! — for visiting with me today.

* Which May or May Not be immediately understood by my French-speaking readers.