Celebrations

May Day Celebrations

By Seale Paterson

Since Medieval times, May Day and May Festival celebrations have been held to greet the arrival of spring. The European custom carried over to America, and of course to New Orleans, a city that never hesitates at a chance to throw a party.

Some of the earliest press accounts of local children’s May festivities appeared in the 1860s. A Grand Children’s Ball was held at the Opera House in May of 1866, with music, a grand tableau, and of course, the crowing of the May Queen. In the 1870s, schools and churches of varied denominations were repeating these scenes in neighborhood halls as popular fundraisers. Songs and recitations, refreshments, live music and comedy, and maypole dances were added to make more elaborate festivities.

Throughout the 1910s-20s, it seemed like everyone was hosting a May festival. A 1913 Elks sponsored party had over 500 children – many in fancy costumes – present to enjoy a full orchestra, games on the lawn, and maypole and other dances. This grand event, called the May Day Romp, carried on into the 1920s, often held at City Park, growing larger and more extravagant every year with the addition of Humpty Dumpty, clowns, free ice cream and sporting contests.

An equally grand annual event at Audubon Park featured maypole and spring dances, in which children represented flowers, fairies The Children’s May Festival in 1917 at Taylor Playground in Broadmoor. This bird of peace float was the third-place winner of the float contest. Image by John T. Mendes. Provided courtesy of the John T. Mendes Photograph Collection, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Gift of Waldemar S. Nelson. 2003.0182.99

and sunbeams. Decorated bike and flower parades were also a big draw; 15,000 were in attendance in 1921. Tulane University also hosted an annual event on campus for faculty, staff and their children.

Starting in 1916, playgrounds took the celebrations to a new level, involving citywide queen elections and parades starting at City Hall to mark the opening of the playground season. Decorated bikes served as minifloats, and the mayor’s office was always represented. Maypole dances would end the day. One final attempt to throw to a yearly citywide May Children’s Festival was hosted by the New Orleans Better Films Chapter. The first was held in 1937, and it ran for about 5 years; fundraising was intended to create a children’s movie theater.

While a few schools continued to host some May Day events, by the 1950s the tradition had largely died out. ✦

JUST

FoR KiDS

Glamping on the Geaux

Glampingonthegeaux@gmail.com 504-321-1440

Kids can sleep over in style this summer with Glamping on the Geaux’s mermaid themed package! A one stop shop for party needs, Glamping on the Geaux offers an array themed glamping packages, spa add-ons, decorations, and more.

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Ballin’s LTD

BallinsLTD.com 2917 Magazine Street, New Orleans 721 Dante Street, New Orleans 504-891-4502 Make this Mother’s Day with the Vienna Pendant, an ornate oval-shaped pendant with gilded lacy openwork suspended from a beautifully textured chain.

Art & Eyes

ArtandEyesNewOrleansLA.com 3708 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-891-4494 @art.and.eyes NINA MUR FRAMES. Handmade, to order from Madrid, Spain! Made from wood, titanium and resin … lightweight, sustainable, and oh so pretty!

Sazerac House Museum

SazeracHouse.com 101 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-910-0100 Cocktail Garnishes Travel Pouch, $15. Zip up travel pouch for storing all of your essentials featuring illustrations of cocktail garnishes by Kate Lacour.

Monomin

Monomin.com 2104 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-827-1269 Scalloped Dolce Hat by Lack of Color, $138. The scalloped, sunshine, sea-loving sun hat of your dreams. Made from a golden wheat straw weave, this dome crown sun hat is perfect for days spent in the sunshine.

BLEU, a Blowdry Bar

BleuaBlowDryBar.com 701 Metairie Road #112, Metairie 504-309-5999 Gift the lady in your life what she really wants this Mother’s Day. BLEU gift cards never expire and are good towards services, products and even gratuity.

Symmetry Jewelers

SymmetryJewelers.com 8138 Hampson Street, New Orleans 504-861-9925 24k gold-plated sterling cuff bracelet, featuring tiny delicate flowers by designer Bernd Wolf, 1.25" wide, $100.

PERLIS Clothing

Perlis.com 6070 Magazine Street, New Orleans 1281 N Causeway Blvd, Mandeville 8366 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge 800-725-6070 Comfort Mom with the all-day, every-day Mari sandal ... stylish versatility from beach to bistro. Features softer-than-soft full-grain leather and generous memory foam padding. Also available in black.

JADE

Jade.shoplightspeed.com 324 Metairie Road, Metairie 504-875-4420 These are handmade ceramic flowers & succulents, each one of a kind to adorn your wall or simply to lay on a stack of books. Create your own sculpture. Unlimited shapes, colors, and sizes. Purchase them at jade.shoplightspeed.com.

Dagostino

DagostinoPasta.com 504-242-8888 Spoil mom with the gift of authentic Italian food. The Creole Italian Feast Box from Dagostino Pasta Company makes the perfect gift – better yet, use the handmade ingredients to prepare her a gourmet meal. Visit dagostinopasta.com, $36.99.

The Shop at the Collection

Hnoc.org 520 Royal St., New Orleans 504-523-4662 Small sterling silver magnolia necklace, $75.

Lee Michaels

Lmfj.com 3301 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Suite 11-B, Metairie 504-832-0000 David Yurman sculpted cable cuff bracelet with pave diamonds, retail value - $1,800.

Boudreaux Jewelers

BoudreauxJewelers.com 701 Metairie Road, Metairie 504-831-2602 Jude Frances mixed metal bracelet collection, starting at $780.

Indigo Boutique

ShopIndigoBoutique.com 605 Metairie Road, Suite C, Metairie 1795 Martin Luther King Blvd, Suite B, Houma 504-635-7874 Bracha 14k-gold-plated, non-tarnishing, hypoallergenic, and waterproof jewelry for everyday wear. Sold exclusively at Indigo Boutique.

Swap Boutique

SwapBoutique.com 5530 Magazine Street, New Orleans 7716 Maple Street, New Orleans 504-304-6025 Shopping for Mom is fashionable and easy at two Uptown locations of Swap Boutique where today's top designer fashions are available in two great shops. Visit today and find the gift and style you want.

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