Maypole

Maypole
A central feature in the conducting of Beltane (see Sabbats) festivities as celebrated by neo-Pagans and neo-Pagan Witches. The maypole is usually a fleshly cut oak, birch, elm, or fir tree.

Maypoles were often danced around at Beltane to bring fertility and good fortune.

Gate of the Temple, the Veil of the Mysteries, the vesica piscis or oval nimbus, and the Holy Grail are important yonic symbols; the pyramid, the obelisk, the cone, the candle, the tower, the Celtic monolith, the spire, the campanile, the Maypole, ...

It is a time of bonfires and feasting, drumming and dancing; a time of brightly colored ribbons woven around that ancient phallic symbol, the maypole. And it is a time to renew our commitments to the land, to love, and to each other.

The incidents Hawthorne relates in "The Maypole of Merry Mount" are thoroughly historical; apparently the extremists had decided to renounce Christianity altogether and revert to paganism.

At any rate, in the 15th century and later the May-Day celebrations in England were called "Robin Hood's Festivals." Garlands of flowers, a Maypole, morris dances, archery contests, and bonfires were features of the celebrations.

See also: Symbol, Pagan, Goddess, Ritual, World