Here's an old photo and a postcard of the first May Day event at Bryn Mawr in 1900.
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| Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library |
Here's Katherine Hepburn dressed up for Bryn Mawr's May Day in 1928.
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| Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library |
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| Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library |
Somewhere, there's a photo of me dancing around the maypole at Bryn Mawr (at a much later date, thank you), but I couldn't find it in time for this post.
I did find an old program of events though, which is too small to read. Suffice it to say that the events extended from 5:45 am until 9 pm.
Here are a few photos from May Day 1982, including President Mary Patterson McPherson on horseback.
If you head on over to Bryn Mawr this weekend, you can partake in the festivities and try to redeem this free dinner card. If you are unable to travel the distance, you can always celebrate May Day at home via Sepia Saturday.
Your pictures resemble the ones from my great-aunt's college yearbook from the 20s. May Day pageants were elaborate productions complete with processionals, dances, and Shakespearean plays.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting. I love the photos of old actresses in their college days and the pageant programme looks very full.I wonder how the college got a Welsh name.
ReplyDeleteThe college got its name from the farm that was on the land beforehand, originally the name of the owner's farm back in Wales.
ReplyDeleteAll these shenanigans look like the work of some type of secret society! Was there time for study? ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how big and vast the celebration is. I don't think too many other colleges do this. Although I did see a Julia Roberts movie recently. She was a professor at Wellesley and in the film, they celebrated May Day.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess the tradition lives on.
Love the photo of Kathryn Hepburn.
Nancy
Ah, Kate Hepburn what a face! I love the 1982 photos also, what a lovely tradition. I like the word "revels," so perfectly conjures in the mind the full day of activities.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that maypole dancing was so international. And I have to say that living in a part of the world where the tradition seems to have started, I don't think I have ever seen a maypole in my life : although I seem to recall visiting a pub called The Maypole a few times!
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice collection of images. I wish you could have found the picture of you dancing around the Maypole.
ReplyDeleteI also wish you didn't have the rightclick function disabled. I rightclick when I want to see if there is a larger image to view.
Beautiful postcards and photos and I appreciate the history.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm all for the strawberries and cream with champagne!!
My abiding memory of May Day is trying to persuade children to dance around the maypole in such a way as to weave the ribbons, rather than knot them.
ReplyDeleteChristine, you have so many neat pictures and postcards for us today, thank you. I love the one of Katherine Hepburn. It is fun to know that you went to school there too and participated in the May Day festivities first hand.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Kathy M.
Wonderful set!
ReplyDeleteI only have one memory of the Maypole. When I was in grade school, a teacher tried to promote an extravaganza featuring all the kids dressed up and skipping around a May pole. The event was cancelled. Someone at the school board thought it was too “pagan” and sent the wrong message to “Christian” children. Heck, we were kids. We didn’t know the difference. All we knew was that it seemed like fun.
Christine, great post, amazing photos from a place you participated in later years. In Switzerland, May was celebrated in a different way, no Maypole dancing.
ReplyDeleteThe return of the month of May has always been a time of rejoicing and celebrations, marked by special customs in different regions.
Great post, Christine. It must have been a thrill to have taken part in such events. Bryn Mawr is one of those places I've heard about but about which I knew nothing, Now I'll always associate it with Katherine Hepburn.
ReplyDeleteThe final 2 photos made me think of The Prisoner, although I'm not quite sure why. Maybe there was an episode featuring a may pole?
ReplyDeleteI want to see the picture of you dancing around the May pole! Keep looking.
ReplyDeleteNot that all these photos weren't wonderful.
Barbara
Pity you couldn't find your picture in time, but there is certainly no lack of material here. And I can almost hear the music...
ReplyDeleteThanx 4 sharing!!
:)~
HUGZ
As I keep reading posts about May Day I continue to be surprised at what a big event it is some places. Never, ever have I celebrated May Day or known of it's celebration! Amazing. It looks like Bryn Mawr went all out. I wonder what it will look like this year!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they had a lot of fun. I like the costumes and pageantry. Happy May Day!
ReplyDeleteOn the program at the end it mentions the "schollers" of Bryn Mawr. I know this must have been done deliberately, but looking up schollers, the only definition I could find was a "master of medieval fighting arts" - does this apply? Looks like a really complete celebration - what an action-packed day!!
ReplyDeleteYes, the spelling of schollers is intentional, as is the spelling of a number of other words, such as divers instead of diverse. You won't find them if you try to look them up, but I am guessing you would find such spellings in old English texts.
ReplyDeleteFabulous PCs and images! Looks like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful posting. I like seeing all the different ways they did their dance around the Maypole. Great job.
ReplyDelete