Joyful May Day wishes!

"The world's favorite
season is the spring.
All things seem
possible in May."
Edwin Way Teale



Optimistic by nature, I always begin each year anew, hoping (perhaps almost Polly-Anna-ishly) that the coming year will be wonderful, successful, happy. Though such wishful thinking doesn't always transmit into reality as the months role on, I figure there is no harm is being positive. While May isn't quite half way through the year, it's well on its way, and so I find myself facing the day with a renewed sense of hope for the future.

The beauty and life of May make it a month for dreams. Days spent laying on your back, clouds waltzing past, for ice cream cones and the reappearance of (vintage) sun dresses in your wardrobe (for those of us who live in colder climates, I mean).

My sunny outlook when it comes to this month has been shared with many that held by the populations of many civilizations over the centuries, and it is thought that May Day stretches back at least as far as the ancient Celts and Romans, for whom May's arrival was nature's way of heralding the end of winter.

Today May Day is not generally celebrated as much as it once was (though May 1st has taken on a new meaning in some countries where it is observed as International Workers Day), but I think it's worthy of remembering and celebrating, even if you don't crown a May Day Queen. If you do though, wouldn't it be fantastic if you could don the same gorgeous dresses as the gals in this photon from 1941?


{Crowning the May Day Queen, 1940s style! Photo care of UMW Centennial’s Flickr stream.}

Embrace the the stunning beauty in nature that May ushers in (or further helps bloom), and use it as the perfect time to reflect on some of the things you're hopeful and thankful about this year. For me this definitely includes the creation of this blog and the opportunity it gives me to share my love of all things vintage with my dear readers.


{A charming black and white Life Magazine photo from 1947 depicting children dancing around a maypole. Discovered via Google images.}

What does May Day mean to you? Are you a fan of observing this festive springtime cerebration? And just as interestingly, what items of vintage or vintage inspired clothing are you planning to wear this month?