The Maypole
Another custom of Bealtaine which has never died out is that of the May Pole. In many places in Britain, Ireland, and North America, children are still encouraged to grab the white and red ribbons and dance the old Morris Dances.
In the days of the old ways, The May Pole was made from the communal pine tree which had been decorated at Yule, with all but its uppermost branches removed. The ribbons attached to its top are traditionally white and red, white for the Goddess and red for the God, or white for the Virgin Goddess and red for the Mother. The May Pole is a phallic symbol impregnating the birth canal being woven around it by the dancers. There are two thoughts on the symbology for the white and red streamers. One is that the red stands for the Sun God and the white for the Virgin Goddess. The men, holding the red streamers, and the women the white, weave the birth canal together, representing the union of the Goddess and God. The other is that the white, held by the women, stands for the Virgin Goddess, and the red, held by the men, stands for the mother aspect. Together the men help the virgin aspect meld herself into motherhood on the phallic pole.
The dancers then do a Morris Dance, the Anglo name for May Day Dances, which are rich with Pagan symbolism. There are usually eight dancers, one for each Sabbat of the year, paired into four couples. The dances involve moving in circles and weaving under each other;s interlocked, upheld arms in mock sexual unions. It is not difficult, even in modern North America, to find such a celebration going on at May Day.
