Maypole dancing - did you ever partake ?

[WildRosie]

I'm sure we had at least one Maypole at my preschool playgroup circa 1975. We might even have had two. I was at primary school in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee and we did a very frilly/spirited/awkward plod around a pole during the summer fair. The regular ribbons were replaced with red, white and blue. I really didn't want to take part and there was a good deal of strong arm persuasion from the teachers. I'd have happily sat on the base with three other youngsters to stop the pole from toppling over but that job was given to the children of a more robust physique, shall we say ? So I spent an excruciating few minutes skipping, bowing and prancing about. I felt an utter nincompoop, especially as I was dressed completely differently to all the other boys. Thanks Mum😉!

Doesn't the Maypole have a pagan origin ?

I did it a my junior school in the late 60s/early 70s. The girls made elasticated skirts and we sewed rickrack round the bottom in fancy embroidery stitches. I can't remember what the boys wore.

My DC did it in the 90s in their ordinary PE kits.

Yeah in the village where i grew up. The double plait, the barbers pole,, the gypsy's tent

I did it at school and church in the 1980s.

I think the ribbons were red green and yellow, and we had to wear matching skirts and hair ribbons. There were a few different patterns you could make but the plaited one was the most complicated (although now I think back actually not that complicated....but it was to a 5 or 6 year old) and I remember it being really satisfying to get the plait right without anyone going wrong.

And, not relevant at all, but I remember some of the oldest girls (probably 13 or 14) having quite strong BO (noticeable when you had to pass the ribbon over or under!) although I had no idea what the smell was!

This was the highlight of my childhood in the 60’s I absolutely adored maypole dancing.
We also had a May queen and I still have the program showing that I was chief petal scatterer. So I walked in front of the May Queen with a little basket of rose petals.
Happy Days😁

Yes, at village fetes for May Day. Late 80s-early 90s. Also at Guide camp. I loved it! We also did country dancing in PE and had village barn dances, beetle drives etc

Yes! Smallish village primary in Sussex. Our (c of e) school shared the May Day celebrations with the other even smaller Catholic school up the road. All the kids would do a procession down to their school to 'collect' them, and we'd all walk back up to our school, behind the tractor with May Queen on! Then we'd dance around the maypole to accordion music from one of the teachers, plus a tape of traditional country music. It was magical as we all got to wear nice dresses and flower head bands. Bit of confusion about which hands to hold when partner dancing though!

Early 90s this was, fairly certain it isn't a big a deal these days as they'd need permission to shit the road off for the procession.

they'd need permission to shit the road off for the procession.

🤣🤣🤣 sorry I'm very childish and this typo made me really laugh.

I did it at primary in late 70s. The shame when it was clearly your ribbon that had messed up the design! My favourite was the witch’s hat.