A traditional holiday in England for centuries, May Day is a celebration of springtime fertility marked by revelry, dances, parties and community gatherings.
During medieval times, May Day celebrants would go "a-maying" in the countryside gathering greenery, flowers and a tree that was cut down to serve as the "may pole."
Sexual promiscuity associated with "a maying" caused May Day to be banned by the English Parliament in 1644. It reemerged when Charles II took the throne in 1660, but the sexuality of the festival was no longer overt and the holiday was transformed to a celebration of England.
The May Day Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom is observed on the first Monday in May.
May Day festivals are believed to have originated with celebrations of the Roman goddess Flora that spread to other countries of the Roman Empire.