May Day’s official name is Early May Bank Holiday and it is generally held on the first Monday of May each year. Scotland was the first place that started celebrating May Day and then it became an official public holiday all across the UK in 1978 thanks to the Banking and Financial Dealings Act. May Day has been celebrated since the ancient times and it provides everyone a fun time and festivities all across the nation. Of course, the celebrations became more popular with the day becoming a public holiday because now a lot more people can join the events and have a good time.

May Day is close to the end of spring, so it pretty much a welcome to warm months to come. People celebrate the new life all around the UK. Since it is the most notable time of the spring, spring is traditionally celebrated at the beginning of May in all Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. Not everywhere has the same kind of parades but a few common sights and sounds include:

•   Morris Dancers

•   Maypole dancing

•   Crowning of the Queen of May

•   Dawn flower picking

•   Picnics, pub events, and more

Another important thing to know is that many other countries around the world have a formal Labour Day or May Day holiday to celebrate the rights of workers and raise awareness of their grievances but the UK does not have that holiday. Therefore, workers’ rights groups generally choose to march or protest on May 1 or the public holiday itself.