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If "May Pole Dancing Video at Winterborne Stickland Fete 2006" is not shown property. Visit the source link above.
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May Pole Dancing at
Winterborne Stickland Fete 2006 |
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May Pole Dancing at Winterborne Stickland Fete 2006
The most well known symbol of May Day (1st May) is the maypole. The
custom of dancing around the maypole is an ancient fertility rite,
which is still performed today on village greens and at spring
fetes.
The origins of the maypole hark back to ancient times when tree
spirits were worshiped and indeed the first maypoles were tall
slender trees, usually birch, which had their branches lopped off,
leaving just a few at the top to be adorned with garlands and
blossom: a far cry from the more elaborate designs of today.
The maypole itself is a phallic symbol representing the planting of
the god's phallus into the mother earth's womb, there by
illustrating the bringing forth of new life. In addition some
maypoles are painted with red and white spiral stripes in much the
same way as a barber's pole and this too has sexual meaning: the
red representing the female menstrual blood and the white the male
semen. The sexual symbolism of the maypole and all the immoral
revelry that went along with it led the Puritans to out-law the
maypole custom in 1644. However, this prohibition was soon repealed
after the restoration of Charles II in 1660. Many towns and
parishes erected permanent maypoles in celebration, some boasting
80 or 90 feet! These permanent poles were left to stand throughout
the year but only decorated and danced around on May Day.
Dancing around the maypole was once a very merry and frivolous
affair, yet today's maypole dancing with its colourful ribbons is a
relatively modern dance, only dating back to the nineteenth
century. However, this new adaptation is now accepted as a very
important aspect of the maypole dance. By taking two ribbons and
weaving them together the dancers make a new element, thus two
makes three representing the sexual union and the offspring.
Discover more Dorset traditions in the book 'Dark Dorset Calendar
Customs', by Robert Newland, now available at Amazon.co.uk. Visit
the Dark Dorset website, http://www.darkdorset.co.uk or
blog http://darkdorset.blogspot.com
and open the door to a world of fascinating folklore and
legends. |
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