Today starts the #20HappyDaysinMay challenge on Instagram and everyone keeps asking about prompt one, May Day.
What is May Day? WHAT IS MAY DAY? How do you not know?
I’ll tell you.
In my childhood, May Day is a day when you fill dixie cups with anything your mom can find in the pantry. This can include but is not limited to popcorn, peanuts, M&Ms (but usually it’s baking chocolate chips because who has M&Ms lying around?) and sometimes random cereal if times are really hard or mom hasn’t grocery shopped in awhile.
So you fill the cups with weird old pantry food, stick a pipe cleaner through both sides to make a miniature cup bucket, and then you take them around to your neighbors and drop them on the porch.
You ring the doorbell and run. Rumor has it if you get caught, you get kissed. I wouldn’t know because I was the fasted kid ever, but I’m pretty sure my sister would trip on the steps or fall in the grass every year and get slathered in gross neighbor kisses. She wasn’t the most athletic child. Or perhaps she was just craving attention? I’m not sure on that one.
So I want to know, is this just a Nebraska thing or do other states follow in this odd tradition?
And if you really want to feel bad about yourself browse “May Day baskets” on Pinterest. Whyyyy? Why are we constantly raising the bar and doing this to ourselves? I’m proud of the random crafts/treats I always brought to school as a kid. It made me more resilient and self confident.
If you can handle being a 7 year old with the ugliest May Day basket in class you can handle anything.
That being said, May Day is whatever the hell you want it to be.
So happy weekend. Happy birthday month, siblings! And of course, happy May Day. Summer is on the horizon.
Ok, I've always heard of May Day but thought it only had to do with a big backyard party and dancing around the may pole…am I wrong? Never heard of this may day basket you speak of…Regardless, I'm SO glad we are done with April!!!!
i love whatever the hell i want it to be. also i love your nail polish. makes me want to paint mine. YAY for the challenge!
I used to deliver May Day baskets to my neighbors as well, but instead of pantry treats they would be little potted flowers! Happy May Day 🙂
Your 'blogger' pictures are getting so good. haha so proud!
You are really taking my back to my childhood today with the Dixie cups filled with pop corn and M&M's — I used to love passing those out in the neighborhood growing up! 🙂
haha that is so cute! I have never heard of that before but it sounds like so much fun!! I hope to remember this when I have kids.
I've never heard of that before and I'm in Michigan. Maybe it's just a Nebraska thing?
Sarah
Midwest Darling
Ok, that sounds like so much fun! I've heard of May Day but never done that and now I feel I was deprived as a child!
I've never celebrated May Day. I didn't even know people actually did.
Life without May Day? So sad! It's like a friendly version of ding dong ditch with suspect pantry leftovers. Mmmm. Sounds fun, huh? I remember the fun tradition fondly. Happy May!
In Hawaii it's called Lei Day and most everyone has the day off. Tonight, there was a huge beachside celebration and there were food stations. What I'm saying is that we need to invest in some property now so that we can have our dog farm ASAP.
Yes I grew up in Iowa. I think it's only in some areas of the Midwest though. When I lived in Georgia nobody knew about it. We used to use styrofoam cups and decorate the outside using crayons. We usually used popcorn and candy but my mom always bought Easter candy on clearance after Easter and that was the candy we used!
I did May Day in Fort Dodge, Iowa, as well as my first year in Lincoln.
I wonder if May Day is a midwest thing. We definitely filled up little buckets and played ding dong ditch every year. It was a highlight we looked forward to! I could definitely see it being a midwest thing because we're really weird here and have lots of odd traditions.