Breakfast in bed prepared and served by your lovely children. Oh and by the way, sorry about the mess in the kitchen. Were we supposed to clean up after ourselves?
it’s the thought that counts. Love you Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!
For all that you every day of the year, hope your Mother’s Day is special and someone else cleans the kitchen!
I haven’t revisited May Day for a few years — fifteen, to be exact — but who’s counting. If you’re curious (or just in the mood for a laugh), you can see that original 2011 post here. May Day.
May Day is one of those holidays everyone’s heard of, but almost no one can fully explain — which is probably why it’s so much fun to write about. Depending on who you ask, May 1st is about flowers, bonfires, maypoles, ancient goddesses, or childhood memories of weaving ribbons around a pole without tripping over your classmates. And honestly? All of those answers are right.
May Day goes all the way back to the ancient world. The Romans celebrated Floralia, a weeklong festival honoring Flora, the goddess of youth, spring, and flowers. When they reached the British Isles, their festival collided with the Celtic celebration of Beltane, also held on May 1st — a fire festival marking the start of summer. Over time, the two blended into what we now recognize as May Day.
By the medieval period, May Day was the spring holiday across Europe. Villagers would wake up early to gather flowers and greenery — a tradition called “bringing in the May.” They decorated homes, barns, and even livestock with blossoms to welcome the season.
At the center of the festivities stood the maypole — usually a tall birch tree pulled into town by flower‑decked oxen. People danced around it holding colorful ribbons, weaving patterns as they went. Some towns even competed to see who could raise the tallest or most impressive pole.
Many villages crowned a May Queen, a young woman chosen to preside over the day’s games, dances, and pageantry. Think of it as the original spring influencer — minus the hashtags.
🔥 Bonfires, Dew, and a Little MagicIn some regions, May Day included bonfires — a holdover from Beltane — and people believed washing your face in May morning dew would bring good luck and beauty for the year ahead. (Honestly, that one might be worth trying.)
Here in New England, the Puritans were not fans. When an Anglican merchant erected a maypole at Merry Mount (today’s Quincy) in 1627, the neighboring Puritans chopped it down and shipped him back to England. No sense of whimsy, those folks.
So while the Puritans may have tried to shut the whole thing down (party poopers, the lot of them), May Day survived — flowers, maypoles, mischief and all. And honestly? I think that’s worth celebrating. Even if the only dancing you do is from the coffee maker to the couch.
April Fools!
April Fool’s Day is one of those holidays that refuses to explain itself. Historians have theories — calendar changes, spring festivals, general human mischief — but no one can point to a single moment when someone declared, “Let’s dedicate a whole day to tricking each other.”
Honestly, that feels about right.
Humans didn’t invent pranks on April 1.
April 1 simply became the day we admit we enjoy them.
In the 1500s, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, moving New Year’s Day from late March to January 1. People who didn’t get the memo (or ignored it out of sheer stubbornness) were teased as “April fools.”
Imagine missing a calendar update and suddenly everyone’s taping paper fish to your back. Tough break.
🌱 The Spring Mischief TheoryAcross cultures, spring festivals often included jokes, role reversals, and general silliness. After months of winter gloom, people were ready to laugh again. Hard to blame them.
This is the historian’s shrug.
April Fool’s Day may simply be the result of centuries of people deciding that life is more fun when you keep everyone on their toes.
Some people plan elaborate pranks.
Some people fall for them.
And then there are people like me — perched safely on the sidelines, watching the chaos unfold like it’s a nature documentary.
I don’t set traps.
>I don’t spring surprises.
>I just sip my coffee, keep a straight face, and enjoy the show.
It’s peaceful up here above the fray. No whoopee cushions, no fake spiders, no “your shoelace is untied.” Just calm observation and the occasional raised eyebrow.
In honor of April Fool’s Day, I decided to contribute one tiny prank of my own — something gentle, something silly, something very me.
Here it is:
**“Happy April Fool’s Day!
In true New England fashion, today’s forecast calls for sun, snow, rain, hail, and a light chance of frogs.
Or as we call it here: Wednesday.”**
A harmless little wink to the weather gods — and to anyone who’s ever lived through a New England spring.
🐾 Banner & Balboa’s Official StatementOf course, Banner and Balboa fully support April Fool’s Day.
Frankly, I’m just grateful they haven’t learned how to order prank supplies online.
Because April Fool’s Day practically demands them.
(Groans are optional but encouraged.)
Whether you’re the prankster, the prankee, or the quiet observer like me, April Fool’s Day is a reminder not to take life too seriously. Spring is here, the days are brighter, and a little silliness never hurt anyone.
Wishing everyone a Wonderful Thanksgiving. Safe travels for those going over the river and through the woods!
