MAYPOLE

Group Member: Melisa Grant Shana-Kay Harris Antoinette Godfery

What is Maypole?

Maypole is a pole painted and decorated with

flowers. It is a traditionally dance that is done

on may day which is May 1st or midsummer.

It may be a semi-permanent feature that stands

all year-round until it has to be repainted or

replaced.

The Origins of The Maypole Dance

Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from

Germany, England, and Sweden. It is a

celebration that is associated with midsummer

festivals and rites. The dance signifies the

beginning of the planting season.

Origin of Maypole Continues

The dance was introduced in Jamaica by

the British to the enslaved Africans during

the 19th century who, as is customary,

added their own interpretation, movements

and instruments.

Types of Maypole Dances The first dance is consist of dancers that perform

circle dances around a tall, garland-festooned pole.

The second and most popular are dancers moving in

a circle, each holding a colored ribbon attached to a

much smaller pole. As they move around the pole,

the dancers intertwine their ribbons either in a web

around the pole or to plait it to the pole. To unravel

the ribbon dancers retrace their steps.

Religious Aspect of Maypole Maypole dances were common throughout

Europe until the time of the Reformation.

Protestants considered maypole dancing a

form of Pagan idolatry and eliminated the

practice in many areas.

Religious Aspect Con’t

The rebirth of the Maypole dance was in the

1800’s . In many pre-Christian cultures, couples

paired off on May Day eve and had sex as part

of the fertility ritual. This was encouraged and

children born from such couplings were

considered special children of the God.

Social settingOn May Day, people usually cut down young

trees and stick them in the ground in the village

to mark the arrival of summer. People danced

around the tree poles in celebration of the end of

winter and the start of the fine weather that

would allow planting to begin.

SOCIAL Setting Cont.

Maypoles were once common all over

England and were kept from one year to

the next. Schools would practice skipping

round the pole for weeks before the final

show on the village greens.

instrumentsIn the early days the music would have been played

on instruments like the Pipe & Tabor, concertina,

fiddle, English bagpipes, accordion, flutes or any

instruments that were loud enough to work in the

open air.  Today people dance to recorded music such

as country dance music and pop songs.

Parishes Famous for Maypole

This dance is mostly performed in the

parishes of Trelawny and Hanover. The

dance party is consist of twelve to sixteen

dancers, sometimes all females and

couples.

English bagpipes

pipe

concertina

fiddle

Video of maypole

References "

Everything You Need to Know about the British retrieved on October 12,20013 from Rupert Matthews