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

Spring Flowers and Thirty Days

We've reached a milestone, people!  In thirty days, we're going to hop on a couple planes and return home; it's one short month away!  Although I'm looking forward to coming home, I know that I'm going to miss this place dearly.  Thinking back to September and my first few days here, I had no idea that I'd feel as comfortable and as happy as I do now.  It makes me think about the ex-pat lifestyle and the idea of normalcy.  What was normal for me one year ago doesn't feel normal now.  In thirty one days, what will be my new normal?  Humans are so adaptable and resilient, and I know that although the transition may be rough, life will feel normal again soon enough.  

Anyway, once we realized that we had around fifty days left, we started to take more time to enjoy ourselves here, and not focus solely on returning home and finding jobs for next school year.

This long-awaited spring in Austria has been beautiful.  It seems like a new flower comes into bloom every week, and new birds sing us awake every morning.

Here's to enjoying the season, and Happy National Poetry Month!

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Excerpt from "A Prayer in Spring," Robert Frost