Take Time Off and Smell the Flowers

Today is May 1, May Day. In Europe, May Day began as a spring festival celebrating the coming of summer at the period between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The Romans would celebrate Flora, the goddess of flowers. May Day celebrations usually include flowers, wheat, outdoor activities, and dancing. Festivals may include the crowning of a “May Queen,” a young girl who personified the season of youth and growth.

In the Church, the month of May is dedicated to Mary. The May Crowning involves creating flower crowns or garlands and placing them on a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Mary bares the title Queen of Heaven; she is also the Mother of the Church (celebrated this month). But these are not stars or crowns of gold. These springtime crowns represent her steadfast faith, attainable for any who follow Christ: the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8), the “crown of life” (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10), and the “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4).

There is a more recent understanding of May Day as well. Through the labor movement in the nineteenth century, particularly the Haymarket strike massacre, May Day has become International Workers’ Day. It has been used as a day for public protests and demonstrations around the world as well as parades and military displays in communist countries.

In 1955 Pope Pius XII established the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, celebrated on May 1, a reminder that the labor movement and recognition of workers could not be solely co-opted by atheist, communist powers. The Church should always stand in solidarity with the poor and working class.

The two celebrations may seem disconnected: the May Day of spring and play and femininity vs. the May Day of demonstration and work and masculinity. But together they form a balance. What is productive about play with no work? What is sustainable about work with no play? How can we appreciate the coming summer without having endured the previous winter? Together, they are a balanced celebration of life. They go together as a fit pair, like, well, Mary and Joseph. 

Some may look at how the Church attached Mary and Joseph to these occasions and think that the Church “stole” these holidays, that somehow the celebration of the day or month is inherently pagan because it wasn’t Christian first. But I see that the Church “baptized” these celebrations, recognizing the human value within them and relating them to our relationship with God. God made the heavens and the earth, so of course we can celebrate the movement of the spheres and changing of the seasons. God created flowers and beauty, so of course we gather flowers and make crowns. God created man in His image, so of course we can celebrate the dignity and rights of workers.

Whether people recognize God's role in our lives, they do sense it; they sense the need to celebrate certain aspects of life, that parts of life are special and worthy of celebration. We all want days full of happiness and traditions and celebration. And if they look different but parallel, that is a space for conversation and maybe conversion. So today is a good day to appreciate the work of labor, especially hard-won rights like the 8-hour day and living wage. And it’s also a good day to take some (earned) time off, go barefoot, and appreciate the season. And it's always a good day to acknowledge God's role in every aspect of life.