May Day in Austria

The Dance Around the May Pole, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, via

 

Here we are at another Austrian holiday, Maifeiertag. 

We're going to celebrate May Day by attending a Maibaumaufstellen, or what we'd call a Maypole Raising in English.  We'll do so in Dirndl and Lederhosen.  Will we dance around the Maypole?  Possibly.  Will we make new friends?  Maybe.  Will we look stylish?  Absolutely.

I will document it, of course, and I'll report on how Austrians bring in the lovely month of May.

And as a reminder to make much of the time we have, here's a stanza from one of my favorite poets, Robert Herrick.

Come, let us go while we are in our prime;
And take the harmless folly of the time.
      We shall grow old apace, and die
      Before we know our liberty.
      Our life is short, and our days run
      As fast away as does the sun;
And, as a vapour or a drop of rain
Once lost, can ne'er be found again,
      So when or you or I are made
      A fable, song, or fleeting shade,
      All love, all liking, all delight
      Lies drowned with us in endless night.
Then while time serves, and we are but decaying,
Come, my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.

 Excerpt from "Corinna's Going A-Maying"

Happy May Day!

  Village Scene with Dance Around the May Pole, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, via