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Looking back at May Day celebrations across north Northamptonshire schools

Children dress in their finery and take part in an age old tradition

May Day is the first day of May, traditionally a celebration of spring and the rebirth of nature after the long, difficult winter months.

Associated with flowers, dancing and Maypoles, lucky youngsters are chosen to be ‘May King’, or ‘May Queen’ and crowned with flowers.

Usually celebrated by school children in villages, Maypole dancing involves complicated dance steps to weave ribbons around the central pole, in intricate patterns.

It is thought that May Day probably has Roman origins, emerging from the festival Floralia, a celebration of fertility and nature that took place around early May and was dedicated to the goddess Flora.

May Day also has roots in the Celtic festival Beltane – a day that marks the start of summer and considered the best time for animals to be put out to pasture.

Here we take a look back at how it's been celebrated in north Northamptonshire schools over the years.