Last night my neighbors had a May Day party, replete with this here maypole. It was still standing this morning, May 2nd, on the bank of Bayou St. John. I'm not sure if an old Bay City Rollers album and a plastic Chuck-E-Cheese mallet are traditional maypole decor, but they seem to work here. Maybe it's the rainbow boa that ties it all together. I should add that my neighbors, being good citizens, also planted a tree nearby.

May Day is a funny holiday, celebrated by pagans, socialists, and Catholics alike. The pole itself is part of the fertility ritual of spring, with the erect maypole representing the, um, male role in fertility. I'm not sure how the socialists got in on the act, although I guess May Day is an official holiday in many countries under the name of Workers' Day. This is why the immigrant laborers chose yesterday to rally for amnesty. For a grumpy old man's perspective on that event, visit Lou Dobbs here. (Lou Dobbs brings up President Eisenhower's designation of May 1st as "Law Day," back when people feared commie weirdos enough to try and usurp May Day. Perhaps if Ike had thought to celebrate something with a little more zip than "the law," people might actually remember this holiday.)

For the Catholics, who excel at finding reasons to celebrate, May Day coincides with the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This is why you'll see Catholic school girls celebrating with a maypole, just like my weirdo neighbors. That's the magic of spring: all sorts of different folks joining together around a big, rainbow-colored phallus. Happy May, everyone!