May Day is the first day of May. It’s a celebration of May flowers and springtime. It is traditionally celebrated with May baskets, May pole dancing, and also crowning a “queen of May”. Since the month of Mary is dedicated to Mary, this can make it an extra fun day to have a May crowning! And since we are crowning Mary as the queen of May, why not celebrate with some good ‘ol fashioned May baskets? Let’s take a look at some Marian inspired May basket ideas.
May Basket Basics
- It used to be very popular to make “May baskets” for your friends, neighbors, and even your sweetheart.
- They can be made from paper and shaped like cones, or they can be any kind of basket
- They have a string for hanging on a door knob
- May baskets are full of flowers
- May baskets are left on a doorknob anonymously. You can ring the bell and shout “May day basket!” and run away!
- For Catholics, the May baskets can be themed around Mary
You can read more about the traditions of the old fashioned May basket here.
How To Make A May Basket
You just need a small container that can hold some flowers and possibly other small “goodies”. Let’s take a look at exactly how to put together a May basket.
What To Make Your May Basket Out Of:
- Printable May day baskets (This is the free printable May day basket we used from Glenda’s World, then I added some Mary stickers to ours.)
- An empty can (like from canned food) wrapped in pretty paper
- A cone of paper (with the flowers wrapped in a moist paper towel and then foil to keep the moisture off your paper cone)
- A doily (using same flower technique as above)
- A disposable water bottle upside down with the bottom cut off decorated on the outside
- A disposable cup
- Paper lunch sacs
- A paper plate that is decorated, rolled in a tube, and fixed with tape or staples
Put Together Your May Basket:
Punch 2 holes in your May basket. Tie a string to each side, making a loop at the top. Fill with flowers and other small trinkets such as candy. This could be a great opportunity to get rid of some leftover Easter candy! Make a tag that says “Happy May Day!” and attach it to the basket. Voila!
Embellish Your May Basket:
Post continues after this brief information about the Catholic Icing Monthly Membership
Monthly Liturgical Membership
You can decorate your May baskets with an assortment of supplies! Here are some ideas to get you started.
- colored paper
- washi tape
- stickers (like our Mary stickers)
- lace or trimmings
- cupcake liners (to add a “ruffle” to the top)
- paint
- glitter
How To Make Your May Basket “Mary” Themed:
- Utilize the color blue
- Include an image of Mary (like a holy card or a printed image)
- Include a prayer or even a rosary!
Mary And Christian Themed May Baskets
Let’s take a look at what some amazing women have put together for May day! I just love seeing what others have done and be inspired.
made some baskets for him as well 🙂
tips on making the cones with kids.
If you’re looking for more ideas, check out my other resources on how to honor Mary with kids.
Thank you Lacy. These are beautiful. Im definately feeling more motivated.
I just have to share this – it's SO funny!
I had your homepage open, but had other tabs/windows open as well. My son came to sit next to me and when I clicked back over to Catholic Icing, all of sudden, he very excitedly said, "OOOOHHHHHHH" (think oo like in food).
It's just such a "pretty" website – it draws you in, even if you're a 6 year old boy! 😉
Now we will definitely be using some of the May Day ideas here!
Thank you, Lacy! 🙂
Jeanne
My boys made some May Day baskets using ideas from here and ideas I found elsewhere. Check them out on my blog 🙂
http://through-my-is.blogspot.com/2010/05/may-day-baskets.html