May Day Traditions

Kind friends, we have met this lovely day, to welcome again the spring. The birds are singing a joyous lay, and the trees their fragrance bring. Nature has on her robe of green, she smiles all through the day. The pretty blossoms with the buds between, now blush in their old-fashioned way. The fairies are calling for someone to reign, over all of the springtime array. So we must now hasten our laurels to gain, and crown _____ our Queen of May.

Thus wrote Bishop Henry C. Sorensen, the composition commonly spoken of as the crowner’s speech. Those of us who have been invited to do the honors have memorized and spoken these meaningful words as each has placed a crown of flowers on the head of a lovely girl. This and all that goes with it has had a refining influence on the young people of Mendon. The idea, is it said, came from the English converts who had taken part in May Day celebrations in England. In the beginning, with apple blossoms and May flowers around them, the townspeople went ‘Straying and Maying’ around the public square. They followed the Marshal Band under the leadership of Frank Williams, who organized the young men and boys. The maypole dance and the crowning of the queen were later introduced. Larsine (Seny) Sorensen, who later married Alexander Richards was the first Mendon May Day Queen. Since then there have been many; and we honor them again today. I know of only two times in the history of this celebration when it was conducted differently. One time the queen was crowned by the Sunday school superintendent, who was my father, William Isaac Sorensen. The other time she (Arzella Bird, in 1915) was crowned by another girl, Julia Ahrens Muir.

This was done because of a shortage of, or unwillingness on the part of the boys to act. But in the last fifteen or twenty years there has been no such problem. This might be because of the expertness of the Sunday school superintendency and the larger number of boys in this age group. As I have observed this program I can see the wisdom of the ward leaders of yesteryear in sponsoring a boy-girl relationship in a refined and beautiful setting. It has been suggested by some in the past that this program could be modernized. But it is my feeling that its strength is in its simplicity. It is time tested, having proven successful year after year. The words of the songs sung by the townspeople and the maypole dancers tell the story of Mendon’s May Day. The following are the songs that are used, the origin of which I am not sure:

The Songs of the May Day Dancers

These songs have been memorized by the young girls of Mendon for over one-hundred years. Because of this inborn interest it is relatively easy for the girls to learn the songs and routine for the maypole dance. The queen’s company consists of approximately five couples, girls and boys about fifteen years of age. The boy who attends the queen is known as the consort. The other girls are maids of honor, each having an escort. It is customary for the family of the queen to invite her company to her home for a fine dinner on the May Day. Former residents of Mendon always make an effort to return to the old home town for this important celebration where they are sure to renew acquaintances with old friends and relatives. The Mendon May Day celebration is one worthwhile tradition which we hope will be kept alive for future generations.

T. Kay Sorensen