The Spirit of May Day: Britain’s Celebration of Nature, Community and New Life

How ancient traditions of May Day shaped Britain’s connection to the land – and how pilgrimage brings it alive today

Every year, as the first days of May unfold with blossom and birdsong, there is a cultural unfurling too: the spirit of May Day, one of the oldest celebrations of nature and community in these islands.

As folklorists Steve Roud and Ronald Hutton explain, May Day was once a crucial marker in the British calendar — a festival outside the Church’s festivals, belonging instead to the people and the land. It was a moment of collective joy: young and old venturing into the woods at dawn to gather hawthorn (“may-blossom”), garlanding houses with greenery, dancing around tall Maypoles, and crowning a May Queen to embody the spirit of the season.

Nature always stood at the very heart of it, as it does today. Hawthorn trees, bluebells, and green boughs were gathered as symbols of fertility, good fortune, and protection against evil. Customs such as “Going a-Maying” — venturing out before sunrise to collect flowers — captured a reverence for the natural world.

In some places, May Day took on even grander forms. In Padstow, Cornwall, the extraordinary “Obby Oss” procession — still alive today — sees hobby horses dancing through narrow streets to ancient drums. In London, milkmaids paraded with pyramids of silver plate decorated with flowers. Even tales of Robin Hood were woven into May Games, with villagers dressing as Robin, Marian, and the merry men to celebrate the greenwood.

Yet May Day was not always welcomed by authority. Puritan reformers in the 17th century tried to suppress what they saw as pagan excess, but the festival endured — a testament to its deep roots in the British psyche.

Today, much has faded. Permanent village Maypoles are rare. Robin Hood plays have almost vanished. Yet May Day traditions like Maypole dancing, May Queens, and the Padstow Obby Oss continue, while revivals such as Hastings’ Jack-in-the-Green procession breathe new life into old customs.

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May Day Pilgrimage Connections

This May, step outside and celebrate the ancient spirit of renewal:

Walk among the may-blossom, greet the new season with every footstep, and join a living tradition of honouring the land.

🌿 Find your own May Day pilgrimage.

🌼 Walk a green way, sing a May Carol, seek out an ancient holy well, or simply gather flowers at dawn.

👣 Every step is a celebration of spring.

May Day’s spirit of walking out into nature at dawn, gathering flowers, and celebrating the land offers a powerful link to pilgrimage. Pilgrimage invites us to step into the seasons, to feel the turning of the year underfoot. A May-time pilgrimage — perhaps tracing an ancient greenway, visiting a hawthorn-studded holy well, or walking from village to village — can rekindle that connection to nature, community, and celebration.

Visit through sacred springs or groves associated with fertility and blessing. The Old Wells website documents wells all over Britain.

Where to find hawthorn ("May-Tree") in Britain

You can find hawthorns (see cover photo to identify it) in abundance all over Britain, particularly in old hedgerows in lowland England, the Midlands and southern counties. It grows naturally at the edges of woods and in areas of wild scrub, especially in chalk downs, limestone areas, and open commons. Historic paths like The Ridgeway, The South Downs Way and North Downs Pilgrims Way often have hawthorns along path edges. Older churchyards often have a hawthorn or two, sometimes regarded as protective or sacred. In parts of Wales, Yorkshire, and Cumbria, hawthorn grows scattered across hillsides and pastures, often as wind-bent bushes — especially beautiful when blossoming alone on open ground. Weave some hawthorn blossom into your walking staff.

Hawthorn rich pilgrimage routes

The Ridgeway — runs along the crest of the North Wessex Downs and Chiltern Hills — two of Britain's greatest chalk escarpments.

The Old Way — runs along the South Downs Way

Glastonbury Pilgrimage in a Day — a route associated with renewal and healing. See also the official Glastonbury Way site.

St. Winefride’s Well Pilgrimage (Wales) — journey to one of Britain's most famous holy wells.

North Downs Pilgrims' Way — visit flowering woods and old pilgrim churches.

Worcester Cathedral Pilgrimage in as Day — through the Malvern Hills famous for bluebells and spring views.

Oxford May Morning, 5am

The Padstow May Day "Obby Hoss" Procession (from Cornwall Live)