Happy May Day!

I was a Campfire Girl when I was a kid, what I suppose was some kind of neo-hippy suburban alternative to the Girl Scouts. Where they had Brownies, we were Bluebirds. To their (albeit addictively delicious Thin Mints, an industry unto themselves), we had Peanuttles and Sunkist Fruit gems. We earned not badges but wooden beads, and would stitch them on our felt vests in random patterns whilst in deep thought selecting our Indian names that we would be called by during the campfire ceremonies. My name was Wah Ton Yeh, or "Brave Bright Eyes". My mom picked it out for me. At the ceremonial campfires we would chant "Wo He Lo" (in extended, drawn-out, dramatic fashion, a rise and fall so it sounded more like "wooah HEEE low". This stood for work, health, love. What else did a Bluebird need?

What does this have to do with May Day? Nothing on the surface, but it represents my only point of reference for May Day, which was not a celebration of workers' rights, revolution, standing up to the man, or what could today in Eastern Europe be considered a more complicated connection to a Soviet socialist past, but it was about wearing white and wrapping colorful crepe paper around a tether ball pole in Mrs. Fogg's backyard and afterwards, practicing our do-si-do and eating homemade donuts. I know flowers were involved but I forget how - I was way more interested in the donuts.

My research into the subject (consisting of a Google search and quick skim read) tells me that the Maypole is connected to German Paganism.

Now, here in Central Eastern Europe, the red countries have a big public holiday akin to our Labor Day. It's still a big holiday here and while I celebrated by going on a hike with friends in the nearby Pilis Mountains, Hungarian comrades have big worker's celebrations at Hero Square. I even ran into some labor groups getting off the train
while I was leaving the city. They were full of energy bringing some life into Nygati Station with their chating and team spirit. But to me it seemed anachronistic, or just weirdly misplaced. Even though I should be cheering for the May Day ideal, to an outsider, it's hard to tell what this all means in post-Communist Hungary, with a corrupted (even if recently changed PM) Socialist government, the economic crisis, falling forint and near bankruptcy of the entire country and subsequent rising nationalism, racism and violence against Roma people, it's hard to read what going on in the streets on 1 May anymore.

Makes me miss the days of the Peanuttles and Do-Si-Do's.