All around the UK, people are celebrating May Day. With all of the traditions of May Day, introducing a new one, of Sky Lanterns, is a great way to liven up the holiday. While lacking the adrenalin filled jump, they are far safer than a jump off the Magdalen Bridge in Oxford and would fit right in with the traditional May Day celebrations in Kent.

May Day Origins

The European May Day festivals have their origins in the pagan culture of ancient England. The celebration has roots in many cultures that have affected England, from the Flora festival of the Romans to Walpurgis Nacht, celebrated by the Germanic countries, many of which raided and settled portions of the UK as well as the Gaelic Beltane festivals. The roots of these festivals are virtually identical: it is a celebration of the coming of summer and all the goodness that summer has to offer. Keep in mind that over the past thousand years, the UK has been both more temperate and much colder than it is today. Especially at times when the UK was colder, the fact that May was upon the people was something to definitely celebrate.

In more modern times, May and May Day have come to be a symbol of Mary in the Catholic Church. For Catholics, May Day is a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the miracle that is the Virgin Mary. On top of this, many of the traditions of May Day from secular and pagan traditions have been retained. The May Pole and Jack in the Green festivities are still honoured in many areas of the UK. Modern traditions have been added to those of yore, including the jumping from the bridge at Oxford and the Obby-Oss fertility day in Padstow, Cornwall.

Celebrating May Day after dark with a Party Season Package

Our party season package, available at  http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/lantern-packs/party-season-packages/prod_37.html is the perfect package for any May Day festivities. The Magik snow tubes are a great reminder of why May Day is being celebrated, producing a snow like non-toxic substance that can be reused and chilled to make the snow feel more authentic. The night of May Day, releasing the included green, white and red Nightsky lanterns into the air is perfect as both of these colours are traditional spring and summer colours. While doing this, illuminate the area you are standing in with the included White Candle bags and impress everyone with an Ice Fountain show. The Ice Fountains produce a fountain of bright white sparks, similar to a sparkler but both brighter and safer for everyone. On top of this, each person in your party will be able to decorate themselves with glow sticks, glow bracelets. Also included are Glow Glasses and Glowstick Bunny Ears to round out the party pack. We have packages that range from a small package which is enough for 3-4 people through a jumbo package which will keep a party of 40 people happy and involved in the Sky Lantern Party experience for May Day.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 5:33 PM and is filed under General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.