Talk:Maypole

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Is there any connection between Maypoles and the Asherah poles in Canaan described in the Bible?

Contents 1 Phallic symbolism 2 "Maia" & ribbons 3 John Ruskin 4 England vs. U.K. 5 Sexual symbolism and the maypole 6 Use in secondary and high schools

[edit] Phallic symbolism

Is the Maypole considered a male penis and what do the ribbons represent?

I don't know about the ribbons but the maypole is a phallic symbol (i.e. "penis"). -Thorri 14:12, 21 Aug 2005 (UTC)

What evidence is there for the phallic symbol? Sounds speculative!--Jack Upland 03:03, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

None, though I'm flinching as I write it because people take offence at that sometimes. It's basically psychoanalytic speculation. Sometimes a big stick is just a big stick. Even if it was once somehow linked to phallic symbolism, the time when that might have been the case is, ooh, let's say the best part of 2000 years ago i.e. more than 120 generations ago. how likely do you think it is that any "original" symbolism would still carry meaning today, given that this huge stretch of time has seen the maypole-celebrating regions invaded successively by romans, christians, vikings, christians again, and all before we've got as far as 1000 CE? It is most likely, on the evidence that we have, that the maypole symbolises a tree. The ribbons do not represent anything other than themselves: they are decorative and/or functional.

[edit] "Maia" & ribbons

Here is a quote to consider: “May Day festivals probably stem from the rites practiced in honor of a Roman goddess, Maia, who was worshiped as the source of human and natural fertility. . . . [The] Maypole is believed by most scholars to be a survival of a phallic symbol formerly used in the spring rites for the goddess Maia.”—The New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia (1952), page 8294.

Additionally, it is reported that the ribbons were not added until the 19th century and involved intricate dancing styles and weaves that now seem to be forgotten. From my perspective the dances and maypoles appear to be linked to pagan fertility celebrations as are the rabbits and eggs of Easter. Using children in these celebrations adds another link to new growth also associated with fertility.

83.100.210.163 11:18, 9 May 2006 (UTC)you must remember, though, that the inestimable Funk and Wagnall were dependent on the works of reference available to them at the time. as every generation produced a new work of folklore reference it reproduced and recycled the mistakes and misconceptions of the past. so assertions about the connection with Maia (who was actually a pretty insignificant deity in the scheme of things) that featured in early reference works were picked up by later writers, which were picked up by later writers and so on. ironically, this process has ended up re-inforcing these weak ideas solely because they've been repeated a lot. they were often based on methodologically uncertain scholarship and the antiquarians who peddled them had little recourse to empirical or fieldwork data. ALL sources that cite them or were heavily influenced by them (funk and wagnall and the encyc brit. included, as well as practically everything on the internet) should be treated with caution.

[edit] John Ruskin

Did John Ruskin really invent the ribbons? These claims are always hard to ascertain because folklore by its nature isn't written down.--Jack Upland 03:03, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

"The plaiting of ribbons around the pole was not widely practiced in England until later in the nineteenth century. In 1881 John Ruskin suggested that it be part of the May Day celebrations at Whitelands Teacher Training College. From here it spread to schools all over the country." http://www.tradamis.co.uk/t6mayp1.htm Ogg 11:23, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] England vs. U.K.

Was the maypole really traditional in the U.K. outside England ? —Ashley Y 22:12, 2005 May 22 (UTC)

No.

[edit] Sexual symbolism and the maypole

I recently changed an edit that favors the view of the maypole as tree symbol over a phallic symbol. I can understand where you're coming from, however, I think it's important to note this is still possible since phallic symbolism was not unheard of for this area. Not only do unearthed figures of Freyr discovered show this very well but Adam of Bremen also noted similar happenings at the Temple at Uppsala. :bloodofox: 09:44, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Use in secondary and high schools

I've never even heard of a maypole being used in a school dance, neither in my high school, the one I used to go to, nor from any of my friends in different schools...and the picture is from 1910. Can anyone produce documented cases of modern use of the maypole in the U.S. in this context? If not, it may be a good idea to take that section down.

Mayday exercises and maypoles have been used in South Carolina Schools, especially the black schools since at least 1942. Back then schools in South Carolina were segregated and the black schools used the mayday exercises to raise money to buy books for the students. Students being tired of hand-me-down books from the white schools used the money to buy new books for the students. I was a product of the maypole dancing from 1947 to 1955. However after I went on to high school, I learned that the maypole dancing was a fertility dance in the early spring to bring in good crops for the farmers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.61.213.66 (talk) 15:16, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

The high school in Portales, New Mexico currently does the Maypole every year and has been doing it for the past 80 years. The senior class participates in this event, practicing for months to perfect the dances as well as the winding of the pole. Girls wind the pole and wear Southern belle type dresses in pastel colors while being escorted by the boys who wear tuxedos. It is a very formal event and began as an alternative to high school dances or proms and has continued throughout many generations. Students also are allowed the opportunity to perform musical pieces (vocal or instrumental). Through the number of participants has varied over the years, in recent times there have been anywhere from 60-80 students involved each year, making up 14-20 couples on each pole (our Maypole consists of two poles) and the Maypole Queen as well as her court. Practices start at the beginning of March and continue until the performances (three performances total) in early May. As far as I know, Portales High School is the only remaining high school in the United States to still do the Maypole, at least in this formal context. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.33.48.213 (talk) 06:24, 29 April 2008 (UTC)