May Day (1rst of May) is a holiday which started in ancient Greece. It was the most important celebration of the Spring and they name it "Anthestiria", means all flowers in bloom.
The origin of the name of May comes from the beautiful nymph Maia, the mother of god Hermes. Later on the Romans adapted the same name , calling it Mayia.
May corresponded in ancient Greece to the month Thargilion. It was the month that the earth gave them the flowers, the fruits and the vegetables and the fresh grass for their flocks. Actually it is the end of the Winter and the beginning of the Spring and was symbolizing the resurrection, the beginning of the new life and the victory over the death.
This was the reason that on this month they celebrated the Anthestiria in the honor of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and cultivation of the earth. This was the time that Demeter's beloved daughter Persephone, was leaving the darkness of Pluto's underworld palace to be rejoined with her mother.
The celebration of Anthestiria in Athens started with a big procession. Singing hymns and holding flowers they visited the sanctuaries of their gods and especially the ones of Demeter and Persephone.
Those celebrations were spread out all over Greece and finally were adapted by the Romans.
Today in many countries people celebrate the May Day with flowers without knowing the Greek origin of this custom.
Nowadays in Greece the First of May is not a religion celebration but the roots are the same. The most important custom is the flower-wreath of May symbolizing -as in the ancient years- the arrival of the Spring and the regeneration of the nature and the fertility of the earth.
The wreath of the First of May is made usually with wild flowers and they hung it on the balconies or on top of the door.
In the Greek cities of Asia Minor people used to add on the flower wreath a garlic (to protect them from the evil-eye) , a pin (to protect them from the enemies) and a wheat (for fertility). Even today this custom is kept on many islands of the Aegean and other parts of Greece.
On the island of Corfu they make a procession which is carrying a branch of cypress-tree decorated with yellow daisies and they put a wreath on it made by fresh green branches
May Day (1rst of May) is a holiday which started in ancient Greece. It was the most important celebration of the Spring and they name it "Anthestiria", means all flowers in bloom.
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