A May Day I Will Always Remember

by Dru

Part 1 of 3

Darcy, my 14 year old daughter had a paper she had to write about May Day. They could write anything about it, May Day baskets, the May Pole, Workers’ Rights, the Soviet Union’s May Day Parade, etc. She wants me, her mom to tell her what type of celebration we had for May Day when I grew up.

Darcy is a freshman in high school. I think she is a very special girl, just like my two other children. Darcy is now 5’-7” tall and takes great pride in the fact that she is now taller than her mom. She is a runner and is on the high school track and cross country team in Stevens Point. She has a trim athletic figure, light brown hair like her grandmother Heidi which she wears in a short style with long bangs. She also has her grandma’s hazel eyes and cute nose. She is a romantic and wants to do a paper on traditional May Day activities.

Me, I’m Danielle “Dani” Meyer. I’m 38, blond haired, blue eyed and I’m an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin — Stevens Point. I teach history and social science. I’m married to Richard Meyer. I met Rich when were both at the University of Wisconsin — Madison. He was a business major and I was pursuing a dual degree in History and Sociology. He grew up in Milwaukee but fell in love with the area I grew up in, Junction City, Wisconsin. After graduation we were married and moved to Stevens Point, Wisconsin and he took a job with Lands End.â„¢ After Darcy was born, we moved to just outside Junction City where I grew up and moved into my Grandparents’ old home. My Grandpa Erich died while I was in college and my Grandma Helga moved in with my parents after a few years leaving the farm home vacant. Over the years we have updated the house and built a new barn. We enjoy living in the country and peace and quiet of our 80 acre farm.

My other daughter Devan is 13. She looks a lot like my Grandma did. You can see it in her startling green eyes and bouncy black hair which goes down to her mid-back. She is an accomplished gymnast and is a junior high cheerleader. Although you would think she would be the girly one of the two she is more of the tomboy and has her own four wheeler which she loves to ride through the creek bottom and swamp at the back of the property.

My son Arron is the youngest. He will be 10 this coming July. He is a quiet boy who enjoys art and music. People often remarks that he takes after me. He has light blond hair which turns almost white in the summer, blue eyes and brilliant smile. He also takes gymnastics and likes to play baseball. He is a good student and he’s in the 5th grade at the local elementary school in Junction City. He will be going to Junior High in Stevens Point when he goes into the 7th grade.

Growing up in central Wisconsin we did celebrate May Day. However, it was limited to leaving small baskets on the front steps of friends’ houses. My mom told me that when she was growing up some of the smaller towns had May poles. According to historical accounts I have read there was also a tradition of giving bicycles to friends. But I never received one.

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Darcy and I were sitting at our kitchen table so she could take notes as I was to recount what May Day was like ‘back then’. Devan was also there as she had never heard of May Day celebrations. She knew about Cinco de Mayo, but nothing about May Day. They both wanted to know what my favorite memory of May Day was. I hesitated and decided that it was time to tell them my story.

“Well girls, I remember a May Day when I was your age Devan. It was a day that changed my life.”

Darcy said, “Oh come on Mom, it couldn’t have been that special.”

Devan, not to be out done added, “What happened did some boy kiss you and make you feel all warm inside?”

“Okay you two, you think you are so smart, let me tell you how May Day used to be celebrated and what a special day it was.”

Darcy, in her standard approach to life quipped, “We’re all ears Mom, tell us this tale.”

“Okay girls, here is my tale, believe what you want.”

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It was 1984 and I was 13 years old. I lived with my mom and dad and my two older brothers, your uncles Brad and Chris. As you know I was the youngest of the three. Your Great Grandpa Erich and Great Grandma Helga were born in Switzerland and moved to Wisconsin before your Grandma Heidi was born. They settled in Junction City and eventually moved into the house where we live.

We lived down the road where Grandpa Erich and Grandma Heidi still live. At that time your Great Grandpa ran a dairy farm. He usually had between 100 and 125 cows that he milked every morning and every night. As your uncles got older they would help out Grandpa Erich as he was getting older and slowing down. I did help out some, but being small I was given the job of cleaning up the milk room and helping Grandma Helga with the chickens. I enjoyed going into the hen house to find the eggs. If some of the chickens got loose I would have look in the barn and to try and find any stray eggs. It was kind of like a big Easter egg hunt, but no one knew where the eggs were hidden.

That was fine with me because your uncles had to get up early to help milk the cows and then in the afternoons and on the weekends they would have to shovel the manure out of the barn and load it into the manure spreader. I can still remember the smells of the barn. When the cows were being milked you there was the smell of the cows themselves, the sweet smell of the hay and feed and then the manure. The sounds of the milking machines would echo through the barn. There was a rhythmic pulse as the machines milked the cows. When Chris went away to college Grandpa Erich sold the dairy cows and retired.

Your Grandma Heidi wanted all of us kids to appreciate her Swiss heritage so she and Grandpa Erich decided to take us three kids to visit the old country and meet our relatives. Mom had gone back there with her parents when she was young and thought it would be good for us to go. Grandpa Erich worked for the engineering firm he now owns and took a month’s vacation.

We weren’t going to leave until after school got out in mid-May, but my Grandma Helga insisted that we had to be in Switzerland to celebrate May Day. I didn’t think much of it since there wasn’t much of a celebration of May Day in our community. Grandma Helga told us about how when she was a little girl the village she grew up in Switzerland would celebrate May Day. Apparently it was a big deal. There was a celebration called Walpurgisnacht. At that time the Queen of May was crowned and the Maypole was wrapped. In leap years the celebration also involves the selection of four young girls as the May Pole Princesses. Folklore said that these girls would become the prettiest in the village. Grandma Helga was chosen to be one of the girls when she was 13 and I must admit she was a very beautiful woman.

We were told about the trip at Christmas as the trip was going to part of our Christmas and Birthday presents that year. Over the next several months I spent a lot of time with my mom and Grandma learning about Switzerland, where Grandma grew up and about the May Day celebration. They also attempted to teach me German. I learned a few phrases and could speak a few sentences, but if any one spoke rapidly like Grandma and Grandpa could, then I would only catch bits and pieces.

I learned a lot about the celebration, Walpurgisnacht, the May Pole and the May Day celebration. Walpurgisnacht, or Walpurgis Night was originally a pagan festival. It is a celebration of summer held on April 30th. It was believed that on that night witches rode the countryside and waited for the Devil to appear. Certain villages in Germany and Switzerland were said to have made pacts with the witches and were given secret potions, spells and incantations. Bonfires were lit to call the spirits to the celebration. It was said when the celebration takes place in a leap year the blessing of the Goddesses shall be bestowed upon those who are submitted by the Village. To try and counter the Pagan believes, the Catholic Church initially banned the celebration, but later caused it to be celebrated in honor of Saint Walpurgis. Her feast day is celebrated on May 1, and the preceding night is known as Walpurgis Night when the witches and other occult folk can celebrate before being banished by the dawn of her saint's day.

Grandma Helga and Mom told me how the May Day celebration starts on Walpurgisnacht and continues through the next day. Since we were going on a leap year there would be a full celebration this year. They would select the May Queen and her court who would reign over the celebration. There would also be the selection of the four May Pole Princesses who are presented on behalf of the Village.

Grandma went on to explain that traditionally the May Pole would be erected in the Town’s Square. A tree at least 100 feet high would be cut down and the men would cut off all the branches and remove the bark. They would then smooth the pole and the women would decorate the pole with ribbons, paintings and verses. The pole had to be guarded at all times as other villages would attempt to steal the pole. On May Day the pole was erected in the Town Square. The village girls would then wrap the pole in a candy cane fashion. When the pole was fully wrapped then the festivities would begin. There would be plenty of food and drink for everyone.

Grandma went on to tell me that her village, Schá¼pfheim, celebrated May Day a little differently. A fire destroyed much of the town on May 27, 1829. Over two-thirds of the Village’s homes and all of the businesses were destroyed in the fire. Only the church and a few surrounding homes survived. Since that time they have had a permanent May Pole which was erected in a protected mountain meadow to the east of town near Heiligreuz.

The clearing is set against a rock outcropping at the base of a steep cliff. A spring flows from a small cave at the base of the outcropping and down into the meadow. The meadow is surrounded by the cliff on two sides. There is a twenty or thirty foot deep crevice which separates the meadow from the surrounding area. The only way to the meadow is across a wooden bridge that can only be accessed through a pathway that passes between two rock columns on the northwest edge of the cliff. A gate between the columns is locked on all days except Walpurgisnacht and May Day.

When Grandma would describe the events that would occur at the celebration I felt as if I was three. I could feel the excitement of the celebration and the emotion she felt when she was selected as a May Pole Princess. I asked if it were true that the May Pole Princesses were changed as part of the ceremony. She told me that I would have to wait and see since I would be at the next festival.

Over those three months I became even closer with my mom and grandma than I already was. It was so much fun to sit and talk with the two of them and have them describe the countryside around Schá¼pfheim, our relatives, and history of the area. By the time we left on vacation, I almost felt as if I was going home and was looking forward to seeing all the sights Mom and Grandma described. I suggested that she and Grandpa Eric should come along. She pointed out that this was a time for my family to experience the magic of Schá¼pfheim. She also claimed she was too old to make such a trip. I didn’t think that was true, she was 73 but she always seemed younger. She wasn’t stooped over like a lot of older people and her eyes were still full of life and a bright green. Her blond hair was so blond that you couldn’t really tell how much gray hair she had. Most people who first met her thought she was in her fifties.

Mom and Dad made arrangements with the school to get the three of us excused from school early since we would miss the last month of school. Brad and Chris had to take some of their tests early and they were required to write a paper about our trip and their experiences to avoid finals. Because my grades were good I was excused from the tests, but did have to write a paper.

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Finally April 14th arrived. It was a Saturday and we drove down to Chicago so that we could fly out Sunday morning. On Sunday we flew from Chicago to New York and then on to London. All three of us kids were very excited as this was the first time we had ever flown on an airplane and the first time we had ever been out of the United States. I don’t think any of got very much sleep that night.

I was stuck in the middle seat on the flight from Chicago to New York and every time I tried to lean over Chris to see out the window he would push me away. Brad was on the other side of me and they hogged the arm rests. As you two know both your uncles are big men. Even back then Brad was almost the same size as he is today. He and Chris both take after you Grandpa Richard. They were both over 6’-2” and were a little skinnier back then, but were both over 200 lbs. Your uncle Brad who now sports a buzz cut had his dirty blond hair down to his shoulders, while Chris wore his dark brown hair in a pony tail. Brad being 17 and four years older than me didn’t have much time for me and left me to myself. Chris was only two years older than me and seemed take great pleasure in making my life as miserable as possible.

On the flight from New York (actually Newark) to Zurich I got the window seat. It was really great as when we left New York I could see the World Trade Center Twin Towers and the Statute of Liberty. I didn’t care that both Brad and Chris were looking out my window. It was the greatest site I had ever seen. We took off to the south and then swung to the east. It was late afternoon and the sun reflected off the Twin Towers as they stood sentinel above the city. I heard the lady in front of me comment about the Statute of Liberty and looked down to see it. However, it was enclosed in scaffolding as they were restoring it for its 100th birthday. I could see the base which looks like a star, but actually isn’t. It has eleven points, I counted them. I found out later that it is a granite base which is set inside the original walls of Fort Wood. I have never found out why the Fort was constructed in that shape. I could also see all the boats moving on the water. As we climbed higher I could see most of the City. I never realized how big New York City was until then.

It was a really long flight from New York to London. I tried to sleep since it was our nighttime, but between Chris and Brad I didn’t get much sleep. We spent two days in London. I was so tired the first day I really don’t remember much of what we did. On the second day I remember seeing Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. We toured the Tower of London for two hours. The place is huge. You could spend several days there and never see everything. The White tower is surrounded by a wall and thirteen other towers to protect the castle. There is an outer wall with five more towers. I really liked the Yeoman Warders’ known as Beefeaters red and black uniforms. They guide the tours and give the history of the palace. I liked the armour room the best. It had a display of all types of different armour, but I don’t know how anyone could move with it on.

We ate in a pub that night. It was really smoky and my eyes burned. Dad didn’t like the beer. It was warm and didn’t taste like the beer back home. Mom and I split a Sheppard’s pie. I liked the flavor and the crust was really good. Brad was happy because he was able to have a beer with Dad. Chris wasn’t old enough so he was not happy. Still, I was glad to get out of all the smoke.

On the third day we flew to Zurich. We then took a train down to Lucerne. On the flight to Zurich Dad was either getting tired of the three of us fighting or didn’t want to sit in a window or middle seat so I sat with Mom and he set with Brad and Chris. I noticed that he did take the aisle seat. It was kind of funny watching the three of them try to fit into the three seats. It looked like their knees were in their chests. Mom and I were comfortable and she let me have the window seat. She did put the arm rest up and leaned in close to me to look out the window from time to time. We both enjoyed seeing London from the air and seeing the English Channel. I didn’t think it was that far from London to Switzerland, but the flight was more than two hours.

The sight coming into Zurich was breathtaking. The airport is just north of town. We came in over the Mountains from the Southwest. As we turned to the left over Lake Zurich, Mom and I were able to see the Alps to the South. They were higher than we were and looked massive. As we turned to approach the airport I could see the mountains to the east along the sides of the lake. We flew right over the city. You could see the churches and the old part of town.

We took a cab from the airport to the train station. Then we took a train from Zurich to Lucerne where we would spend the night. Although we weren’t up in the Alps the ride was truly amazing. Since it was still April you could see snow in various places and, of course, on the mountain tops. The train ride took about an hour and a half and I was looking out the window the entire trip. It was so neat because the train would wind its way around the low mountains and you didn’t know what was coming next. One minute I would be looking up the side of a steep mountain and the next I would be looking at big drop off. At one spot it was really amazing. We were going past a small lake. On the other side of the lake was a large field of wild flowers that went right up to a black wall of stone that rose to be a small mountain. It was really breathtaking. Mom was sitting across from me and we talked about all the different sights we saw.

We would stop briefly in some towns along the way for passengers to enter or exit the train. It seemed that each town had its own smell. Some of the smaller ones smelled like Grandpa’s farm. Others smelled of mills or grain. There was one that must have had a bakery right by the train station. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until then. Fortunately it wasn’t that much longer until we got to Lucerne.

Lucerne is located on the northwest end of Lake Lucerne. The city is split by the Reuss River which flows from the lake in a northwest direction. We were staying on the east side of the river. My directions said it was really north, but the river does turn and twist. We were in the down town. The area had cobblestone streets and the houses looked like the belonged in the 1500’s. Our hotel overlooked the river and from the window in the hallway you could see Lake Lucerne and the Alps in the background.

Brad and Chris wanted to go on a Ferry ride on Lake Lucerne. Dad agreed to take us. I thought that sounded like fun, but Mom wanted to stay around the hotel and explore the downtown area. I decided to stay with Mom as I didn’t want her to be alone.

After the boys and Dad left, Mom and I wondered around the central area. We stopped in a pastry shop and I had milk and a pastry. Mom didn’t want me to spoil my dinner so I didn’t get the sandwich that I wanted. We then walked across the Chapel Bridge. It is a wooden bridge across the Reuss River. I tried to read a plaque about the bridge, but it was in German and I didn’t know all the words. I found out that it was built in 1333. It is almost 700 feet long and is a covered bridge. There were flowers along the side walls of the bridge. What was really neat was there were over 100 paintings of local scenes and saints. I found one painting of Saint Walpurgis and another of a May Pole ceremony. I was amazed at the intricacy and detail of some of the paintings.

On the south (west) side of the bridge was the Jesuit Church. It is a Baroque church built during the 1600’s to help re-establish the Catholic faith in the area. It sits right on the edge of the river and has two towers which are topped with what are called onion tops. The inside is simply awe inspiring. The nave is a high arch with side arches which are windows. There are paintings on the ceiling and the altar is at least 40 feet high and is decorated in red marble. Gold leaf is found on the bases and tops of columns. We wondered up and down the aisles just appreciating the artistry of this wonderful building. I found the experience to be very moving. While in the church I felt a peace and calm that I had never felt before. I was sad to have to leave that work of art.

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The next day Dad had made arrangements to rent some really small car. I’m not sure how the five of us and our luggage fit in the car. I know I was stuck in the middle of the back seat between Brad and Chris and it was not a fun ride. We drove west from Lucerne to Wolhusen and then south to Schá¼pfheim. Schá¼pfheim was the town where Great Grandpa Erich and Great Grandma Helga grew up. It is also where Great Grandma Helga was chosen to participate in the May Pole celebration.

We arrived there on April 19th and there was a big party held in the Town Hall by our relatives to celebrate our arrival. That explained why Mom had made us wear our good clothes when we got dressed that morning. We met my Grandpa’s and Grandma’s brothers and sisters. They were all really old, at least to me. A lot of my mom’s cousins and even some kids my age were there. In all honesty it was a little boring. Most of the relatives didn’t speak English. Mom could speak German pretty good. Dad’s grandparents were from Germany and they spoke it in their house when he was growing up so he was okay. Brad was a junior in high school and had taken three years of German in school so he at least could communicate. Chris as a freshman was finishing up his first year of German. With the lessons I had had he and I were in about the same boat. We would nod a lot and smile.

Dad came over with a man about his age and two boys. Dad introduced Chris and me to them. The man was Uncle Emil. He was Mom’s cousin on her dad’s side. The two boys were Oscar and Alfred. Oscar was 17 and was the same age as Brad. Alfred was 16 and was a year older than Chris. Dad called Brad over and introduced him. The boys were going to go show us around town. As we started to head out my mom called and asked me to come over to where she was. I really wanted to go with the guys, but Mom made it clear it wasn’t an option right then.

She motioned for me to join her and two other women. I was introduced to Emil’s wife, Edna, and one of my mom’s cousins on Grandma’s side, Aunt Irma. Edna was a big boned woman in her mid to late thirties. She had a strong nose but soft brown eyes. She embraced me in a warm hug. I learned that her family had moved to the valley from Kircheim, a small town in Germany just before World War II. Her father had been drafted into the German army at the end of World War I and didn’t want to live through another war so chose to move his family to Switzerland.

I knew we were going to stay with Uncle Emil and Edna. I found out however that there had been a storm a few days earlier with strong winds and heavy rains. Apparently the room I was going to use had a water leak and they weren’t able to get it cleaned up before our arrival. Mom told me that I would be staying with Aunt Irma. She lived with her husband Henri and daughter Anna. They had a home east of town. I would have a room to myself. The women were all sorry, but since Brad was sharing a room with Oscar and Chris was sharing with Alfred there just wasn’t any other option. I didn’t really mind as it would get me away from Chris for a while.

Aunt Irma could almost pass as my mother’s sister. They were both about 5’-5” tall with bark brown hair. They had dark blue eyes. The only real difference was Mom’s face was more oval in shape than Aunt Irma’s. I learned that Irma was four years older than my mom. While we were standing there an older woman walked up to join us. She asked if we would come and sit with her at a table. She looked like an older version of Aunt Irma. She was wearing a traditional Swiss dress with intricate embroidery on the bodice and along the hem. She wore a long sleeved white blouse with colorful embroidery on the collar and cuffs. She was a beautiful woman. I found out that her name was Andrea. She was Irma’s mother, and my Grandma Helga’s sister. She did not speak English. Aunt Irma, Aunt Edna and Mom would translate, when they remembered, for me. Great Aunt Andrea spoke excitedly when she learned who I was and hugged me to her. She smelled just like my Grandma and as I sat next to her I felt right at home. Everyone was speaking in German. Once in a while Mom or one of my Aunts would say something to me in English, but generally I didn’t understand much of what was being said. Andrea would look at me nod her head or smile and then say something. I knew they were talking about me, but couldn’t understand what they were saying.

After a while a young girl approached. She appeared to be about my age. She was Irma’s daughter Anna, the girl I would be staying with while we were in Schá¼pfheim. She could speak some English but was just learning it in school and wasn’t very fluent. Anna took after her mom. She had light brown hair. Her eyes though were hazel. She was 13 and was just starting to develop her figure. I thought she was a little heavy, but she looked very nice in a brown suede skirt that came to her knees. She wore brown knee socks and had a beige colored blouse under a rust colored vest. There was some embroidery along the bottom edge of the vest. She wore her hair in a single braid which went to just below her shoulder blades. She smiled warmly at me and we nodded at each other as we were introduced. Since I wasn’t really participating in the discussion the ladies were having, I went outside to get to know Anna when she asked.

We set at a table in the park outside the Hall. It was so picturesque. It was early evening and the sun was setting over the mountains to the West. We were looking south and the sun was shining on the western and northern faces of the mountains. You could see clouds floating past some of the taller mountains. The air was fresh and you could smell the pine trees and the spring flowers. I could see three large mountain peaks to the South. I asked Anna about them and she told me they were the Eiger, Má¶nch, and Jungfrau. They looked so close but Anna said they were over 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. You could see the North face of all three. The faces of these wondrous mountains glistened in the fading sunlight. The faces were mostly snow covered but you could see the black rock in many places. We sat and watched the faces of the mountains change as the sun slowly set. It was amazing to see it get dark in the valley but the sun still lighting up on the mountain peaks.

We chatted as best as we could. Mostly we talked about what there was to do and see in the area. She was in still in school. Their schedule was totally different that ours. She was finishing up a term, whatever that was. She had school tomorrow, Friday, and then would be on break for the next three weeks. Then she would have a short summer term.

Her mom came out shortly after the sun set and told us we would be leaving shortly since Anna had school the next morning. It was then I met her dad, Henri. He was a big man. Probably over 6’-4” and had a large stomach. He was bald and had a round face. His eyes twinkled and he toasted me with a large beer stein when we met. Aunt Irma had to virtually pull him from the celebration as he was really enjoying himself. Mom walked out with us and helped me get my bags from the car. I hugged her goodbye and she told me she would see me in the morning.

We got in Uncle Henri’s car, with Anna and I, in the back and drove east out of town. It was dark when we arrived and I couldn’t see much of the surrounding area in the dark. The headlights lit up the house as we pulled into the yard and I saw steps leading up to a front door. There was a small front porch which had an ornate carved railing. The frame around the door was carved and was painted. I didn’t know what it the carvings meant, only that it was very pretty.

Aunt Irma led me into the house. It was very nicely decorated. We entered into a central room. There were set of stairs leading up stairs off to the right and behind. To the left was a dining table and behind that the kitchen. There was also a fireplace on the right side. It felt homey and smelled a lot like Grandma Helga’s home. Upstairs there were four bedrooms and a bathroom. I was given the guest room at the rear of the house as my room. I looked into Anna’s room as she went to get ready for bed. It was decorated with plaid curtains which matched the bedspread. It was decorated in light oranges and browns but was very feminine. She had a large four poster bed and a lot of dolls.

My room was done in mostly blues. There was a decorative trim around the top of the walls which was painted dark blue. The walls were a medium blue and the curtains were dark blue with sky blue stripes of varying widths. The bedspread was sky blue with dark blue quilted piping. There were accent pillows on the bed and the bench seat under the window in a light purple with lace trim. It was a little girly for me, but even I had to admit that it was a pretty room. Aunt Irma showed me the bathroom and suggested that I go ahead and get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth and washing my face I returned to my room, undressed and put on my pajamas. I knocked on Anna’s door and told her good night. I then went downstairs and thanked Uncle Henri and Aunty Irma for letting me stay with them and said goodnight. As I snuggled into the bed, I found it very comfortable and thought I caught the smell of lilacs as I fell asleep.

I’m not sure I moved at all while I slept. I woke in the same spot I fell asleep. I must have awakened when I heard movement in the house. I could smell sausage cooking. I got up, put on my jeans, a tee shirt and a University of Wisconsin sweatshirt and went down stairs. Anna was dressed and getting ready to eat breakfast before going to school. She wore what might have been a uniform. It included a short jacket black jacket over a rust colored blouse with a black and rust checked skirt that came to just above her knees. She wore what looked like hiking boots over rust colored knee socks. Henri had already left for work. Aunt Irma told me he was a part owner of the local bank. That explained why the house was so nice. It was a nice day so Aunt Irma said that she and I would drop Anna off at school and then go find my mom. Anna wanted to stay home and spend time with us seeing the sights, but she had exams and her mom made it clear she was going to school.

As we walked out to get into Aunt Irma’s car I looked back at the house. It was set at the edge of a pine forest. It was also at the base of a stone face which appeared to rise 50 feet or more. I learned later that the hill behind the house rose over 100 meters in less than a half mile. I remember thinking it was like a fairy tale house. It had shutters and looked just like one of the Swiss Chalets in the brochures Mom showed me before the trip.

We drove into town on a road named Schulhaustrasse. Anna’s house was at the end of the road because it became too steep behind their home. We passed several homes as we drove the half mile or so into town. I learned the Schulhaus translates into School house in English. The School was originally located along this road but was destroyed in the fire in 1829. It was rebuilt after the fire further to the north. We dropped Anna off at school and then drove to Andrea’s house. Mom was there and the three ladies started talking about all we had to do in the next several days. I caught bits and pieces, but figured I would find out what was planned as we did the different things.

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It was decided that we would drive to Heiligkreuz a village about two miles east of Schá¼pfheim. However, we had to drive almost ten miles to get there. Heiligkreuz is almost 400 meters higher up the slope of the mountains than Schá¼pfheim. We drove Northeast out of the village and around the edge of the steep slope and climbed gradually up the mountain. We then swung back south to Heiligkreuz.

Mom and I were in the backseat of the car. Aunt Irma was driving and Andrea was in the passenger’s seat. While we were in the car Mom turned to me and whispered, “Honey, no matter what happens just do as you are told. We have been asked to participate in a very important part of the Walpurgisnacht and May Day Festival. What we are about to do must remain a secret. You are to tell no one about what we do or what you see. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand but why me. I’m not from here and I don’t know anything about the Festival other than what you and Grandma have told me.”

“We are guests in the village and it is an honor to be asked to participate. It is also because you are Grandma Helga’s grandchild.”

“But, why choose me, and not Brad or Chris? “

“It is because your Grandmother believed that you would understand and appreciate what is to happen more than Brad or Chris. Are you okay with that?

“Yes, I trust you and Grandma. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”

“Okay honey, we’re almost there. Remember do what you are told. After the ceremony is completed we will discuss all of this with you and answer any question you have. Please trust me on this.”

“I do Mom, and thanks for trusting me to do this.”

Heiligkreuz is a very small village with no more than 30 houses. The only items of interest were a Kurhaus (cure house) which is located in an old Inn and a wooden walk way through the woods.

When we arrived we were met by five ladies. They ranged in age from slightly older than Aunt Irma to Andrea’s age. We were quickly introduced and Andrea led us down a wooden path towards the forest. No one spoke and everyone walked single file with me bringing up the rear. As we entered the forest I noticed that the wooden path continued on into the woods. Light filtered down through the high branches as we quietly moved forward. About 500 or 600 feet into the forest, Andrea veered to her left off onto a small trail. We followed her down this path for probably a quarter mile or more. The forest became darker and less light came through the trees. I was starting to get a little nervous — really I was pretty scared, when we came out into a clearing in which the sun was shining and wildflowers of every type were everywhere you could see. The clearing was probably two to three acres in size. The mixture of the smells was intoxicating. It was like being immersed in a large bouquet of flowers and breathing in all of the fragrances of the bouquet at once.

We walked across the clearing towards an almost vertical rock face. As we approached the rock wall you could see that a small grotto was carved into it. It went back into the stone about eight feet. It appeared that at one time a statue had occupied the center of the grotto as there was a pedestal there but nothing on it. The pedestal stood about three feet tall. It had a circle about twenty inches in diameter in the center with eight points coming off of the circle forming what looked like an eight pointed star. The pedestal appeared to be gray granite. The circle at the top was black marble and each of the points was a different color of what looked to be marble. For such an old appearing grotto I was struck by how bright each of the points appeared to be. The colors of the points were, blue, violet, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink and red. Each of the women went to star point. As one they pushed down and in on the points. The points tilted down slightly and the black circle then rose up approximately two feet. Inside was a white marble statue about eighteen inches tall. The statue was a young girl who appeared to be dressed in a traditional Swiss style dress. She wore a straw hat and carried a long staff.

Andrea removed the statute from where it stood. She placed it upon the blue piece of marble if front of which she stood. She took a small bottle from her pocket, removed the top and poured the contents of the bottled on the statue. As she did the statute changed to the same color as the marble is was sitting on. As the fluid flowed down onto the marble it was absorbed. She then picked up the statute, kissed it on the forehead and passed it to the woman to her left. That woman repeated the process and the statute turned purple. I noticed that the women appeared to be aligned by age with Andrea being the oldest, the woman to her left the next oldest, and so forth. The statue was passed from woman to woman with each repeating the same process until it reached Mom. She repeated the process and the statute turned red, the color of the point in front of her and she then reached up and placed it on top of the pedestal. When Mom placed the statue on the black circle the statute turned black. Except the staff was a spiral of all the colors and the ribbons on the back of the hat wear one of each color. All of the women stepped back out of the grotto.

Mom then directed me to pick up the statue and to place it in a small alcove of white marble at the back of the grotto. It was only about two feet wide at the base and no more than a foot wide at the top. It was about a foot deep, but midway up there was a recess in the stone which was about two feet high and went back another eight or ten inches. There were engravings on each side of the alcove which appeared to be very old and which I could not make out. Mom told me to kiss the top of the statute’s head and to place it in the recess. The statue was heavy and I held it tight to make certain I did not drop it. I kissed the top of its head and placed it in the recess. As I set it down I heard a slight rumble and I turned around to see the black circle back where it had been and all of the points were also black. I turned back to the recess and the statute was again all white. However, the four rows of inscriptions on each side of the alcove were different colors. Each matched one of eight colors. After a moment looking around I walked out of the Grotto and stood by Mom. All of the women curtsied to the statue.

Then Andrea turned and walked back in the direction we had come. The women followed with my mom going last and with me following her. We then returned to the car park. I tried to talk to Mom but she told me to remain silent.

We then walked down the street to the Kurhaus. It was getting close to noon when we entered the building. It was originally a large Inn. It now provided a spa service and Alpine and Whey cures. Andrea nodded to the lady at the receptions desk and we walked through a door to the left of the entrance. This led down a hall with four doors on each side. At the fourth door on the left side Andrea inserted a key and opened the door. We entered the room and Mom closed the door. Andrea walked to the far side of the room and opened a second door. There was a set of steps behind the door which led up. We went up and up, probably four stories. At the top of the stairs was a landing with eight doors. Each of the women went to one of the doors and turned the door knob at the same time. All of the doors opened. As the doors opened I heard a sound behind me and the wall slid open. Mom told me to enter the opening. I did as I was told. I turned to see each of the women pass through the doorways and close the doors behind them. As they closed the doors the wall slid shut. I found myself in a small room. It was eight sided with each side approximately 3 feet wide. It was not totally dark in the room, as there was a dim glow coming from each wall. Each wall was gently glowing one of the eight colors. The ceiling had a soft white glow and the floor was black.

As I stood there the floor seemed to move slightly. It felt as if I was rising. I realized that the floor was in fact moving up as though it was an elevator. When everything stopped the door opened and I was standing in a round room with the eight women. There was a spiral staircase in the center of the room. Andrea walked to the stairs and started to climb up the stairs. She was followed by the other eight women and then me. When we exited the stairs I found that the women were standing in an octagonal room which was in fact the cupola of the Kurhaus. Each of the women was standing in front of one of the small windows in the cupola. As I went to step off the stairs Mom stopped me and told me to continue to the top. I followed her directions and I was left standing on a small platform about eight feet above the floor. About three feet above me at the peak of the cupola was a small octagonal pyramid shaped cone. I really can’t describe it any better than that. Each of the women turned around and opened the top of the small window outward. When they opened their windows, the sunlight reflected off of the windows and up at the cone above my head. I thought I would be blinded by the light. However, I noticed that it did not hurt my eyes. I also noted that each window seemed to reflect a different colored light.

It reminded me of the aluminum Christmas trees when I was growing up that changed colors when the wheel with different colored lenses rotated in front of the light. Depending upon which direction I looked I would see a different colored light.

Mom told me to look at the cone. When I did it was like looking into a kaleidoscope. The colors seemed to mix and flow into one another. I don’t know how long I stood there staring at the changing colors. All of a sudden it stopped and when I looked down I realized that the women had shut the windows. Mom asked me to walk down the stairs. I did. Andrea then handed me the bottle that she had used to pour over the statute and indicated that I should drink it. I looked at Mom and she nodded. I tipped it up and found that there was only about one swallow of liquid in the bottle and that it had no taste. After I drank it Andrea kissed me on the forehead. Each of the women in turn handed me their bottle, I drank each one and the woman kissed me on the forehead.

Andrea then led us down the spiral staircase that now went all the way to the ground floor. She unlocked a door at the bottom and we were back in the same hallway we had entered through. We had exited the fourth door on the right side. We walked back to the car park. Each of the women hugged me and kissed my forehead. The five women walked over to their car and the four of us got into Aunt Irma’s car. I was going to ask Mom what that was all about, but found myself very sleepy. I laid my head in her lap and fell asleep.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

To be Continued . . .

A May Day I Will Always Remember
Part 2

by Dru

Part 2 of 3

When I woke I found myself on the couch in Aunt Irma’s living room. It appeared to be late afternoon. My mom and Aunt Irma were sitting at the kitchen table with Anna. As I sat up Mom looked over and said, “Good afternoon sleepy head I thought you were going to sleep the day away.”

I rubbed some of the sleep from my eyes and mumbled something incoherent.

Anna came over to the couch and pulled me up. “Finally, you’re awake. My friends Helen and Ingrid want to meet you. We are supposed to go over to Helen’s house to meet them. It is time to leave.”

Aunt Irma admonished Anna to be patient. “Give your cousin time to wake up. It won’t kill you if you are a few minutes late. You’ll have plenty of time to do whatever it is you want to do. We are going to have dinner with Uncle Emil and Aunt Edna in town at the Jungfrau tonight so you can either come back here or meet us in town.”

Anna thought for a few seconds, “We’ll just meet you in town. We can walk there from Helen’s.”

I turned to Anna, “Give me a couple minutes. I want to go upstairs and wash my face. I’ll be right back down.”

My mom stopped me as I headed up the stairs. “Honey, do you mind if I come up and see your room?”

“Sure Mom, come on.”

I led the way upstairs and pointed Mom towards my room while I went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. I took a washcloth and wiped the back of my neck with the cold water to try and wake myself up. I washed my hands and then headed back to my room.

“Honey, would you put on a nicer outfit for tonight?” asked Mom.

Reluctantly I agreed and went through my closet to find something I could wear. As I was doing that I turned and asked Mom, “What was that all about today? I almost felt like I was involved in some ancient ritual or something.”

Mom sat there for a moment and started to say something, then paused and finally said, “As I told you it is part of the Walpurgisnacht and May Day Festival and as visitors we were included in the ceremony. Tradition dictates that eight past Queens of May shall select a child to participate in the Ceremony which begins the Festival. The ceremony only takes place every fourth year or leap year. Only the Queens of May who were crowned Queens during a leap year may participate in the Ceremony. No one else knows of the existence of the Grotto, the statute or the Kurhaus. The Ceremony is to take place ten days before Walpurgisnacht, or April 20th. The child who is chosen must either be a child or grandchild of a Queen of May or a Maypole Princess.”

I interrupted, “But Mom if you were there and you participated in the Ceremony that means you had to be a Queen of May. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes it is Honey.”

“Why didn’t you or Grandma say anything back in Wisconsin when we talked about all of this? Why didn’t you say anything about the Ceremony? You know all that stuff was pretty scary especially since I didn’t have any idea what was going on. Oh, and by the way, what was in those bottles that I drank? Is it a drug or some type of potion?”

“Slow down dear. First of all, Grandma and I didn’t know you were going to be chosen to be the participant in the Ceremony. That didn’t happen until last night. I did not expect you to be selected as the participant and I had no idea I would be selected to participate either. No one is allowed to discuss the Ceremony with the child ahead of time except for the type of conversation we had in the car. Part of the Ceremony is to see if the child selected can handle the stress and tension of the situation. You did and I am very proud of you for being so calm. The only thing in the bottles is water from the spring which flows from the cave at the May Pole site. So no, it is not a secret potion or anything.”

“Okay, I accept what you are telling me, but how did just plain water change the color of the statute and how did the stones change colors? And what is the deal with that really weird light show?”

“I don’t know. It is a Ceremony which has been passed down through the generations. It was discontinued for a period of time in the early 1800’s. I understand that it was started up again after the fire of 1829. Some of the Villager’s believed that since the May Pole had been stolen and the Church survived that the Village needed to make sure that the May Pole could not be stolen and the Ceremony and the Walpurgisnacht and May Day Festival was resurrected. Other than that I can’t tell you a lot. I do have to remind you, which is the reason I came up here, is that you cannot tell Anna or anyone else about the Ceremony. You can say we went to Heiligkreuz but nothing about the Ceremony. Okay?”

“I understand Mom.”

At that moment Anna yelled up the stairs for me to hurry up. I hugged Mom, grabbed a jacket, and we both went back downstairs. I said goodbye to Mom and Aunt Irma and left with Anna.

As we walked to Helen’s house which was also on Schulhausstrasse, we talked as best we could about our days. I asked Anna about school. She was glad she was done with school and was ready for a break. I told her we had gone to Heiligkreuz. She told me she was happy she was in school because she found everything about Heiligkreuz boring. I thought, ‘she doesn’t know Heiligkreuz like I do, or she would have a different opinion.’ I just agreed with her.

We arrived at Helen’s in about five to ten minutes. I was introduced to Helen and Ingrid. Helen’s mom, Mrs. Schmid was there and we said hello to her. Helen took the three of us up to her room so they could get to know me. She put some music on and we talked as much as we could. Helen’s and Ingrid’s English was about the same as Anna’s. Helen might have been a little better. However, between the four of us we made our selves understood pretty well. The three girls were a lot of fun. But, just like with Mom and Aunt Irma when they started talking fast all I could do was nod.

Helen and Ingrid were in the same grade as Anna. Helen had reddish brown hair which was tightly curled and appeared to be hard to control. She was fairly pretty with pale green eyes. She was about the same height as me which made her about 5’-5”. Ingrid had dark brown hair which hung straight down to her low back. Her eyes were a light blue almost gray in color. She had a long nose and strong cheekbones. She was really skinny and tall, about 5’-8”, but I thought she would grow up to be attractive.

We got caught up talking. Ingrid’s mom called for her to come home. Anna and I realized that it was time to go to the restaurant. Anna called her mom and asked if she and her dad could pick up the three of us, drop Ingrid off at home and then take us to the Jungfrau. She agreed and we waited for Uncle Henry and Aunt Irma to arrive.

It was a fun time with Uncle Emil, Aunt Edna and their sons. Unfortunately Chris was there but since I sat between Mom and Anna he couldn’t bother me too much. I found out that Uncle Emil and Aunt Edna lived south of town and owned a farm. They had a small heard of dairy cattle and Brad and Chris had helped with the milking. Uncle Emil had taken Dad and the boys around the area showing them different things. I really didn’t listen too closely as my mind was still going over all the things that had happened that day. Dinner lasted until almost 10:00 and we then went our separate ways.

I spent Saturday with Anna, Helen and Ingrid exploring Schá¼pfheim. At that time it had a population of around 2,500 people. As we would walk down the street or go into the various shops I was introduced to many people, mostly women. Several of the older women commented between themselves when I was introduced. I again couldn’t understand what was said. However, one time I heard one of the women say the name Helga. I asked Anna what she said. Anna told me that she thinks you look like your Grandma Helga did when she was your age. The lady looked at Anna and shook her head. We continued our exploration of the town.

On Sunday we went to church and then got together at Emil’s and Edna’s for Sunday dinner. I got to talk with Dad for the first time and we exchanged stories of our experiences. We talked about going fishing or hiking up one of the lower mountains. That sounded fun to me and I was looking forward to it. Anna and I took a walk after lunch up into the hills above the farm. It was very pretty and I found the rock formations amazing.

The next couple days were spent hanging out with Anna, Helen and Ingrid. Mom was with Aunt Irma and Andrea most of the time. I was really starting to enjoy my vacation.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

The problem started on the 25th of April. It had rained the night before and late in the morning Anna and I were walking over to Helen’s house. We were almost there when a truck came along and as I tried to get out of the way I slipped on the grass by the side of the road and fell down into the ditch which was filled with muddy water. Anna wasn’t any help as she stood on the edge of the road laughing. I finally picked myself up out of the cold water and climbed up out of the ditch. Anna couldn’t help herself and continued laughing. Soon I was also laughing. Since we were almost to Helen’s house we went on to her place instead of back to Anna’s house.

When Helen’s mom saw me she took me straight to the bathroom and told me to undress. I wasn’t going to undress with her in the room with me. She told me she would wait outside and would then give me some dry clothes to change into once I had washed the mud off me. I used the basin to wash my body and hair to get the dirt out. Then there was a knock on the door and Anna handed me some clothes. These weren’t jeans and a tee shirt like I had been wearing. Instead it was a skirt and a blouse. I tried to tell Anna that I was not wearing a dress, but she said in broken English that was all there was to wear until my clothes were cleaned. So reluctantly I pulled on the panties and a tee shirt that had narrow straps on the top. I learned later they call it a camisole. I put the blouse on. It was really girly. It was light purple and had embroidery on the cuffs and the collar. I pulled the skirt up and zipped up the zipper. It fit pretty well, but I didn’t like having my legs uncovered. The skirt went down to just past my knees. It was a medium blue and there was some type of pattern in dark blue around the bottom of the skirt. There was a pair of knee high white socks but I didn’t put them on.

When I came out of the bathroom Anna and Helen grabbed me by my arms and shoved me into Helen’s room. There they proceeded to braid my hair into a single braid at the back. They tied purple and blue ribbons at the top of the braid that hung down to just past my shoulders. Helen took the socks and put them on my feet followed by some black girly shoes. I protested, but Anna pointed out that it was all they had and we had to get to the Festival soon. As I stood up Helen took a white apron and tied it around my waist. I was stunned. I don’t wear dresses. We were interrupted by Helen’s mom calling us down to lunch.

We had a nice lunch with Helen’s mom. She and the girls were talking excitedly which meant that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I think I was kind of in my own little world trying to figure out I had gotten into this mess and more importantly how I was going to get out of it. After lunch I was given a large kitchen apron to put over my clothes and I helped Anna’s mom clean up the lunch dishes. While I was doing this Anna and Helen disappeared. I didn’t realize they were gone until I heard them coming back down the wooden steps from upstairs.

As I turned around I was surprised to see them in outfits like I was wearing. Anna and Helen were dressed exactly like I was except their clothes were different colors. Anna wore a rust colored skirt with dark brown trim. Her blouse was a beige-gold color with dark brown embroidery. Helen was wearing a green skirt with yellow trim on the bottom with a yellow blouse with green embroidery. I noticed that the apron’s also had matching embroidery along the bottom edge. They pulled me over in front of a full length mirror. I think I almost fainted. Standing there were three young Swiss maidens. There was a knock on the front door and there stood Ingrid dressed identically but with a red skirt and pink blouse. I remembered the eight points of the pedestal and the eight lights in the cupola and recognized that together the four of us represented the eight colors of the May Pole Festival.

I was forced to walk with the three girls and Helen’s and Ingrid’s mothers into town and to the Town Park. I recognized some of my relatives and ladies to whom I had been introduced to over the past several days. It seemed that everyone knew that I was Grandma Helga’s grandchild and simply smiled or nodded at me.

I tried to stay behind Anna, Ingrid and Helen, but soon found myself along with over fifty girls on the stage in the park. I had no idea what was going on. It seemed like almost all the women in town were present. Many were dressed in traditional Swiss costumes. At the back of the crowd I saw my Mom, Aunt Edna, Aunt Irma and Andrea. I immediately stepped behind Ingrid who was taller than me because I didn’t want my mom to see me in a dress.

Then one of the older ladies stepped up onto the stage and started to line up all of the girls. I tried to move away, but Anna grabbed one of my arms and Helen grabbed the other and forced me to follow Ingrid to the end of the line. Something was said in German that I didn’t understand and the line started to move. The girl at the front of the line moved off the stage and wound through the crowd. We all followed her in a single line. As the line moved forward I notice that all of the girls, although wearing different styles of dresses, were dressed in the same color combinations as the four of us. After winding her way through the crowd, the girl leading the line climbed the stairs back onto the stage, walked to the back of the stage, turned and then walked to the front of the stage where she stopped and then moved off to one side. The next girl did the same thing but moved to the other side of the stage. This was repeated over and over again. When the line of girls almost filled the stage they took two steps backwards and then a new line formed in front. This continued until it was my turn. Ingrid walked forward and I tried to run away only to be pushed forward by Anna. I had no choice but to follow Ingrid and Helen then followed me. This left Anna to bring up the rear. It also meant that the four of us were in the middle of the stage right in front of our mothers. I looked down expecting to see a surprised look on my mother’s face, but she was smiling up and me with what looked like tears of happiness in her eyes.

When we were all standing in four lines on the stage one of the older girls came forward. She was dressed in a white dress with black embroidery down the sides of the sleeves and on the plackets on the front of her blouse. She wore a black apron with a white pattern along the bottom hem. She also wore a straw hat with a wide brim. There was a black and white band around the cap part of it with black and white ribbons trailing down the back of the hat. She walked up and down the lines and pulled 15 other girls and me from the lines and directed us to the front left corner of the stage. The rest of the girls formed into two lines at the back of the stage. There were eighteen girls in each line.

The sixteen of us were lined up and then separated into groups of four. Not surprisingly, after all that had happened, I was with Ingrid, Anna and Helen. The four of us were directed to move to the front of the stage. Then we moved to the left side and the other three groups followed us and the four groups stood slightly apart from one another. I still had no idea what was going on. I tried to ask Anna and she told me to be quiet. After a few moments, each group was told to take a step forward and as each group did so, the crowd applauded.

Then four older women emerged from the crowd. Each was dressed in traditional Swiss style. Each woman’s outfit was of a different color. One was blue and violet, one brown and orange, one yellow and green and the last pink and red. Each carried a multicolored staff and a straw hat with ribbons which matched the color of their outfits. The women came onto the stage and walked up and down the line in which we stood. They then circled the line four times and then stopped in front of our group. The woman whose outfit matched mine stopped in front of me, as did the other women in front of Anna, Helen and Ingrid. Each woman handed the staff she held to one of us. They then took the straw hats and instead of placing them on our heads dropped it over our heads and allowed it to hang down our backs with the cord at our neck. Each woman then leaned forward and kissed each of our cheeks. The other three women then kissed the foreheads of Anna, Helen and Ingrid. The lady in front of me tipped my head down and kissed the top of my head.

The crowd and all the other girls started to applaud. The three girls were all jumping up and down and hugging one another and me. I was stunned as I had no idea what had happened. When things calmed down the four older ladies moved the four of us to the center of stage and the remaining girls formed two circles around four of us. The inner circle moved in a clockwise direction and the outer circle moved in a counter-clockwise direction. The crowd and girls began to sing a song that I didn’t recognize but which was very pretty. When the song ended the crowd again applauded and then began to disburse. Many of girls came and hugged the four of us. Our mothers, aunts and relatives came forward and embraced all of us. When my mom hugged me I asked her what was going on and she told me we would talk later.

There was a small reception and everyone had punch and sweet pastries. After an hour or so the party broke up and Aunt Irma, Mom, Anna and I headed to my Aunt Irma’s house. I kept asking what had happened and Mom said she would explain it later. When we got to Aunt Irma’s Mom and I went out to a bench by the garden to talk.

I wanted to ask Mom what had happened, but she asked the first question. “What are you doing in a dress, you don’t wear dresses.”

“Mom, it wasn’t my idea, I tried to get out of the way of a truck and fell into a ditch. All my clothes were wet and muddy and I didn’t have anything to wear. Helen’s mom told me there was nothing else for me to wear. I thought I would wear it for a while and wait for my clothes to be cleaned and then I would come home. I didn’t know we were going to whatever it was that took place. What was that anyway?”

“That my child was the selection process for the May Pole Princesses. You and your three friends are now the May Pole Princesses for this year’s May Day Celebration.”

“But, Mom, I don’t want to be a May Pole Princess. I was just following my friends. I tried to find out what was going on but they wouldn’t tell me what was going on. I can’t do this.”

“Unfortunately, you really don’t have a choice. It is a great honor in this community to be selected to be a May Pole Princess. You cannot refuse to participate. Once it is over we will go home and you can get on with your life, but you will do it, am I clear?”

“Yes Mom, I understand what you are saying, but can’t I switch with someone, please?”

“Remember that we are guests in this community. Your Grandmother and Grandfather were raised here and many of these people are family. You have to do it for both the tradition and the family. I’ll help you make it through it and then we’ll go home. Okay?”

“But what about Dad, Brad and Chris, what are we going to tell them and what are they going to say. I know Chris is going to make my life miserable. How can I face them, I don’t want to wear a dress.”

“I will deal with your father and brothers. You will continue to stay with Aunt Irma and Anna until the May Pole Festival. I will work with you to get you ready for the Festival. It will all be over on May 2nd. That is only a week away. I know you can make it.”

“Okay, but you know I don’t like this.”

“I know, but we’ll get through it. I love you.”

“I love you too Mom”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

The next two days were spent with Mom and Aunt Irma explaining to Anna, Helen, Ingrid, and me what was involved in the days leading up to the Festival and the Festival itself. I spent most of the time in dresses and they explained in further detail what would happen at the Festival and what we would have to do. This was the time when the four of us got our girl lessons. We were instructed as to how we were to walk, how to curtsey, how we were to act and what we were to say. Thursday and Friday were very long days.

Whenever the four of us went anywhere either alone or together we had to be dressed in “our colors” and had to have the hat around our neck and carry the staff. I didn’t see my Dad or brothers during this time. My mom would go back to Uncle Emil’s at night but I would stay with Anna.

The celebration really started on Saturday the 28th. There was to be a large banquet in the Town Hall followed by dancing and of course drinking. In the afternoon Anna and I were taken by our mothers into town and to the “das Friseurgeschá¤ft” or hairdressers. We met Helen, Ingrid and their mothers there. Much to my consternation my hair was going to be done. I tried convincing Mom that it wasn’t necessary.

“Mom, what are we doing here?”

“We have to get yours and the other girls’ hair done for the dinner tonight.”

“Can’t I just wear a ponytail like I normally do?”

“No you can’t, you have to follow custom. All four of you will have similar hairstyles. Now I don’t want to hear anymore complaining. Am I clear?”

“Yes Mom you are clear.”

So at the end of the afternoon I had a new hair style. It still came down to my shoulders but I now had bangs. I hate bangs. Mom thought it was cute. All I knew is that I now had bangs. My hair was in a single braid as it was on Wednesday, but there were blue and violet ribbons weaved into the braid and hung down to my butt. My fingernails and toenails were also painted lavender. Why did they have to paint my toes I always wear socks. No one was ever going to see my toes. I was just glad that my friends back in Wisconsin couldn’t see me. I would never live it down. Only a girly girl would do this.

I wore a dark purple skirt with a pattern of some type on the bottom 10 inches of the skirt in light purple. I wore a light blue long sleeved blouse with dark blue embroidery down the sleeves and on the collar. I wore a vest over the blouse. The front of the vest was dark blue and the back was light purple. There was light purple and blue embroidery on the front of the vest. I again wore thin knee high socks but these had a band of light purple around the top. I wore a traditional white silk apron which stopped just above the pattern on the bottom of my skirt. My straw hat hung down on my back with the ribbons intertwining with the ribbons in my hair. I carried my staff. Purple and blue ribbons had been added to the staff and hung down from the top of the staff. Of course the other three May Pole Princesses’ outfits were the same only in different colors.

That night the Town Hall was packed. The dinner in the Town Hall was for all the participants in the festival and their families, town dignitaries and past Queens. There were other celebrations going on around town and in the Town Park. The four of us had to be part of the procession going into the Town Hall. It started at the river and then wound through the Town Park and ended at the Town Hall. Last year’s Queen of May and her court led the way. They were followed by this year’s five prospective queens. The four of us followed them. As we entered the hall, we were greeted by the Mayor and eight of the past Queens. All of the announcements were in German and I just followed what my three friends did.

The Queen and her court were presented. Again the Queen was in black and white and wore her straw hat on her head. The four members of her court were in a two toned outfits similar to ours. They all wore blouse and skirts with a vest over the top. The embroidery on the vests was very intricate and unlike ours covered the entire vest. All four wore straw hats like the four of us had. They curtsied to the Mayor and the past Queens. And moved to the head table where the Queen sat in the center with two of her court to each side of her.

The five young women who had been selected to be the Queen and her Court this year were all dressed in White. The Queen for this year would be selected on Monday as part of the Walpurgisnacht celebration. Their outfits were just like ours except everything was white, except their shoes and vest which were black. They were each introduced to the gathering and then curtsied to the Mayor and Past Queens and took their seats at the head table to the left of the Queen.

The four of us were then introduced individually. Ingrid was introduced first. She curtsied to the Mayor and then turned and curtsied to the past Queens. Two of the past Queens were dressed similarly. One wore a red under dress and a black pinafore with pink embroidery. The other wore a black under dress with a pink pinafore with red embroidery. They stepped forward. Each curtsied to Ingrid and then one at a time embraced her in a hug, kissed her on each cheek and then kissed her forehead. They then stepped back and Ingrid rejoined the three of us. This was repeated with Helen, then Anna and finally me. However, at the end instead of kissing me on the forehead the Queens did as had been done at Wednesday’s selection ceremony and pulled my head down and kissed me on the top of my head.

We then went to a head table and sat to the right of the Queen and her court. The fourteen of us were served first and then the rest of the hall. There were probably fifty other tables in the hall and everyone sat down to eat and drink.

After dinner a dance was held in the Town Park which overflowed into the surrounding streets. There was a band on the stage. The Queen danced the first dance with the town Mayor. After that the band played waltzes and polkas and the townspeople danced. As the May Pole Princesses the four of us were expected to dance if asked. I had never danced a waltz before. I had played at dancing a polka at one of my cousin’s weddings in Wisconsin when I was ten, but otherwise I was clueless. Fortunately, some of the training Mom and Aunt Irma had given us the last two days included how to curtsey, kneel in a long dress and some dance lessons. I still felt like a fish out of water and very awkward but I don’t think I made a fool out of myself.

Of course, my cousin (second cousin or something) Alfred came up to me and asked me to dance. I had been told I could not refuse anyone a dance, so I accepted. I looked over at my mom and dad and they were smiling. However, my brother Chris had a look which told me he had me now. It wasn’t that Chris and I didn’t get along. We got along pretty good, but he was the middle child and lorded that over me whenever he could. He also claimed that I was Mom’s favorite and that I got away with things he never could. Now he thought he had me where he wanted me.

All I could do was smile and concentrate on my dancing. I found that I ended up dancing most of the dances with many young men, boys, my uncles, great uncles and even my dad. It ended up being a good night, but I was definitely out of my element and Chris was always at the edge of the dance floor or dancing with one of the other girls. I knew I was going hear about this big time when I got back home. No matter what Mom or Dad said I knew one way or another Chris was going to make my life miserable. Brothers, especially like Chris, I could do without.

The night came to an end and my dad walked over and hugged me good night. He suggested that I get some sleep since the next couple days would not give me a lot of opportunity to rest. I hugged him back and couldn’t hold it in any longer. I started to lose it. “Dad I don’t know if I can do it. You know this isn’t me. Why do I have to do it? There are lots of girls who want this. I don’t. Can’t you talk to Mom and stop this? Please Dad, do this for me.”

“If I could you know I would. But, this is a different culture and you have been chosen. If you hadn’t gone on the stage you wouldn’t be in this position. I’m not trying to be difficult, but you got yourself into this and you’re going to have to get yourself out of it. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but you are very pretty.”

“Dad! I don’t want to be a pretty girl.”

“Hey, it looked like you enjoyed yourself tonight. Did you enjoy any of it?”

“I guess I did a little. But Chris keeps smirking at me and I know he can’t wait to drop me in it after this is over. I can hear him and all his friends at home making me the butt of their jokes. I don’t want that to happen.”

“Your mom and I will make sure that won’t happen. After this is over with you can go back to like you were and this will be a story the family can keep to itself. I will make sure of it. Just stick with it for another couple of days and it will be over. Try to have fun and enjoy it as much as you can.”

“I will Dad and thanks for listening.” He hugged me good night and I went home with Aunt Irma, Uncle Henri, and Anna. Aunt Irma drove as I think Uncle Henri had had a little too much beer or schnapps — maybe both.

I wasn’t able to sleep in the next morning as we had to go to church. There was a special church service to bless the Queen of May, her Court, the prospective Queens, and the May Pole Princesses or as some called us the Maids of the May Pole. The Minister had the four of us come to the front of the church and receive a special blessing. Of course this required another dress. Mine was of course violet and blue. It had a violet blouse under a sky blue pinafore dress. The pinafore had a square neckline that stopped just below the dark purple embroidery which covered the shoulders and upper chest of the blouse. There was also dark purple embroidery on the cuffs of the blouse. The pinafore flared out at the hips and went to just below my knees. I had to wear a small petticoat under the skirt and again the thin knee high socks, black shoes and white silk apron. The apron extended a couple inches below my skirt. The straw hat was hung on my back from my neck and I carried the staff. The three others were dressed the same, but in their colors.

Last year’s Queen was there with her court. She was surprisingly in black and white. Each of her court were in a two toned outfit similar to ours. The five young women who were the prospective Queens were all dressed in White. Their outfits were just like ours except again everything was white, except this time only their shoes were black.

The Queen and her court sat in chairs at the front of the church. The four of us sat in the first pew on the right side and the prospective Queens sat in the first pew on the left. Everything went okay except I saw my brother Chris smirking at me during the service. Apparently my dad saw it too and he said something to Chris. After that Chris looked straight ahead and didn’t look at me again. I found out later that Mom and Dad both told Chris and Brad that if they made fun of me they would find themselves in dresses. Oscar and Alfred kept looking at me but it was different. It was like they were checking me out. Oh yuck.

We were able to relax Sunday afternoon. Ingrid and Helen came over to Anna’s house and the four of us went for a walk up into the low hills. Of course we all were in skirts and blouses, had our hats hanging down our backs and carried our staffs. It was a peaceful afternoon and I found it very relaxing after the stress of the last couple days. I enjoyed seeing the spring flowers and the smell of the flowers and forest. It reminded me of when I went with Mom and Aunt Irma to Heiligreuz, but I didn’t mention anything to the other girls.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

To be Continued . . . .

A May Day I Will Always Remember
Part 3 - The Conclusion

by Dru

Part 3 of 3

Monday was anything but quiet and peaceful. Anna was beside herself with excitement. I must admit that I was starting to look forward to it myself. After lunch we bathed and then started getting ready for the festival. Mom helped me to dress. I had never worn this type of underwear before. It was all lacy and silky. The underpants were small, silky and purple. That was just the beginning there was something called a Basque which Mom wrapped around my stomach and hooked together. It felt like she was trying to split me in half. She explained it was designed to give me a womanly figure. I told her I didn’t want a womanly figure. Then there was a silk camisole. Everything of course was purple. There were straps hanging down from the Basque to which she attached hose, again purple. I complained about everything being purple but Mom explained that the color was lavender. Like that made a difference.

There were three different petticoats. Two were different shades of blue and between those two was a purple one. The feeling of wearing these clothes was strange. I felt all girly and wasn’t sure how that really made me feel.

Mom startled me when she said, “It feels nice doesn’t it.”

I blushed and replied, “I guess it does, it feels foreign, but it does feel nice.”

“Well let’s finish getting you dressed and downstairs.”

“Mom, thanks for all your help and support. I know I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“It’s okay sweetie, you know I love you and I understand this is something you never planned. Your father and I are proud of the way you are handling this.”

I finished getting dressed. I was wearing a long blue dress that went almost to the floor. Mom said it was a Schá¼rze or pinafore style. The under dress was purple, Mom called it Lilac. There was blue and purple lace at the neck and sleeves. It was hard for me not to constantly pull at my collar as the lace kept tickling my chin and the bottom of my ears. There of course was the white silk apron which tied around my waste. I wore black shoes which Mom called Mary Jane’s. I almost fell over when I stood up because I didn’t realize there were heels on the shoes. Mom had to help me down the stairs as I was afraid I would fall.

Anna and Aunt Irma came downstairs a few minutes after us. Anna looked very pretty in her dress. Her blouse was medium brown with almost gold and rust lace at the neck and cuffs. Her overdress was burnt orange. Before we left the house our hats were placed over our heads and hung down on our backs and of course we carried our staffs. Aunt Irma drove us into town and we went into the hairdressers again.

“Mom, why are we back here?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s just some finishing touches for the Festival”

“Who me worry, I never worry about anything” — ‘yeah right, I thought’.

I knew the Festival was in celebration of summer. But I didn’t realize to what extremes they went to celebrate this event. I found out when I walked into the hairdresser’s. It looked like a florist shop. I was glad I wasn’t allergic to flowers because I know I would have been sneezing my head off. There were flowers of every description. The Queen and her court were done first and then this year’s Queen hopeful’s and finally the four of us. Everyone was very pretty and had flowers and ribbons in their hair. The Queen and the others all wore their hats on their heads while ours were down on our backs.

I had blue delphiniums of different shades of blue and small purple orchids in my hair, a corsage of the purple orchids on my left arm and a flower rope of delphiniums and orchids around my neck. Finally, a large bouquet of delphiniums and orchids were somehow attached to the top of my staff and another rope of flowers was wrapped around the staff. Anna’s flowers were orange gladiolas and lilies; Helen’s were green carnations and yellow chrysanthemums; while Ingrid’s were pink roses and red tulips.

“Mom, I think I know why the festival is held at night.”

“Why is that, dear?”

“Because, if we walked outside like this during the day we would be attacked by a swarm of bees.”

Mom started laughing so hard I thought she might fall over. The ladies in the shop wondered what was so funny and my mom translated what I had said and everyone had a good laugh.

Our mothers left to prepare for the Festival and the fourteen of us waited quietly together. Finally it was time to leave for the church and the beginning of the Festival. The fourteen of us were driven in three horse drawn carriages through downtown and to the church. We came in from the back of the sanctuary, down the center aisle and formed a line in front of the Minister. The church was full to overflowing. However, all of the individuals present, except the Minister were women. Eight past Queens stood behind the Minister. They were the five from Heiligreuz, Andrea, Irma and my mother. I looked at Anna and could tell that she was surprised that her mother was among the past Queens. For once I knew something the others didn’t and smiled to myself.

The past Queens were attired similarly to us. However, like Friday night their over dress was black. The under dress was one of eight colors. Andrea’s was blue and my mother’s was purple. They wore a white silk apron over the black over dress. I wondered what color Mom,s underwear was, not a good thought. Irma’s under dress was an orange color which matched Anna’s. All the past Queens had black straw hats with white ribbons.

The first two pews on each side were filled with the young girls who participated in the selection ceremony on Wednesday. There were 48 of them. They were all in two tone dresses similar to ours. Whereas our dresses were long and went down to our ankles theirs went only to their knees. Like us they all had ribbons and flowers in their hair. Every seat in the church was filled and women were standing in the side aisles, the balcony and the back of the church. All of the women were in traditional Swiss clothing of one of the eight colors, except other past queens who wore some type of black and white dress.

There was a short service which I didn’t understand much of because it was in German. At the end of the service the Minister stepped forward and kissed both cheeks of the Queen, her court and the prospective Queens. He then kissed Ingrid on both cheeks and then on her forehead. He repeated this with Helen and then Anna. He then kissed me on both cheeks and again bent my head down and kissed me on the top of my head.

After that, the eight past Queens led us from the church. They were followed by the current Queen and her court, then the five prospective Queens, the four of us and finally the 48 girls. We walked slowly as a procession down the street. I was surprised to see so many people. The street was lined four or five deep and everyone was singing a song in German that I did not recognize. Almost all the people were in traditional Swiss costumes.

As we approached the Town Square I saw that the crowd filled the entire square. There were also people on balconies of several of the buildings bordering the square. There was seating on the ground to the left and right of the stage which was reserved for past Queens and May Pole Princesses. There was a path open to the stage and the past Queens led us back to the stage where this all started a few days ago. My mom smiled at me as I stepped up onto the stage.

The past Queens moved to the right side of the stage. The Queen, Anika, and her court took their place at five chairs set in the middle of the stage. The five prospective Queens moved to the left side of the stage. The four of us were directed to four stools, two on each side of the Queen and her court. I had never tried sitting on a short stool while wearing a long dress. I thought I was going to fall on my butt, but somehow I managed to curtsey my way onto the stool.

The remaining girls, who Mom told me were the Sisters of Virtue or Faeys and were known as May Faeys filled in behind the Queen’s court.

Two of the past Queens took a small crown and a cape and walked over to the prospective Queens. The one with the crown walked back and forth behind prospective queens and finally placed the crown on one of girl’s head. The crown had red and pink stones in the crown. The second woman took the cape which she was holding and placed it on the girl. The cape was red and pink and had a black border around its edge. The girl curtsied to the two past Queens. She then walked over to the Queen’s court, stopped in front of the Queen and curtsied. Then one of the members of the court stood and embraced her. The new princess of the court then took the seat of the outgoing princess and the outgoing princess walked around the chair and stood behind the new princess.

This was repeated three more times until the new Queen was the only remaining one standing. After all of the new Queen’s court was seated Andrea with my mother and Aunt Irma behind and to her side approached the new Queen. Andrea carried a crown in her hands which had stones in all eight colors. Irma carried a black cape which had embroidery in the eight colors and white depicting a May Pole and its ribbons. Mom carried a staff. The bottom foot or so was white and the remainder was black. On top there was what appeared to be a large flower with multicolored petals in the eight colors. Andrea placed the crown on the Queen’s head and then embraced her. She then assisted Irma with placing the cape on the Queen’s shoulders. Irma then embraced the Queen. Mom stepped forward and formally handed the staff to the Queen and again embraced her. As Andrea, Irma and Mom stepped back the new Queen curtsied to them, turned and curtsied to each side of the stage where the past Queens and May Pole Princesses were seated. She then walked to a place approximately ten feet in front of Anika the old Queen. Estelle the new Queen curtsied to Anika. Anika stood, curtsied to Estelle and they then walked toward each other and embraced. Anika stepped back and Estelle took her seat as Queen. Anika again curtsied to Estelle and assumed her place behind Estelle’s chair.

Each of the May Faey came forward and curtsied in front of the new Queen. Then the four of us stood and went to stand in front of the Queen. We all curtsied as one. The Queen then stood and starting with Helen, curtsied and then hugged her, then Ingrid, Anna and finally me. The four of us stood around the Queen and held hands. The eight past queens and Anika then formed a circle around the five of us and started moving in a clockwise rotation. The past and present Queens’ court members then stood and taking ribbons of the eight colors formed an octagon around the Queens. Then the Faeys formed two circles around all of us. One circle of Faeys started moving to their right and the other circle moved to their left. Another song was sung by the entire group. Mom had rehearsed this song with me and I was able to sing along with the others.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

At the end of the song everyone separated and returned to stand in their previous locations. The eight past Queens moved to the center of the stage. The past Queens led the procession from the stage. Andrea was in front and Mom was in back just like when we were in Heiligreuz. Estelle followed next and was followed by her court, then the four of us, and finally then Anika and her court. Bringing up the rear were the May Faeys. The new Queen led us out of town on Schulhausstrasse and past Helen’s and then Anna’s homes and up into the low mountains. As we walked slowly out of town the May Faeys and many other little girls started to circle the entourage. A small group then broke off and started to circle the four of us. Once we were isolated from the others all the Faeys and their helpers started to circle the four of us. There were at least four circles each one larger than the inner one and rotating in the opposite direction. As they started to circle us they began a chant. It did not sound like the German I was used to hearing. It was different and almost like an ancient chant.

It was dark as we left the town and there were torches on poles along the way and other torches held by people which lit our way. One time I looked to the side and thought I saw my Grandma Helga and Grandpa Erich. When I looked back they were gone. I knew it couldn’t be them they were back in Wisconsin. The light from the torches flickered as we moved and caused the shadows to move. This created a kind of eerie feeling. It didn’t seem to bother any of the others so I tried to ignore it.

As we reached the end of the road and moved onto a narrow path, all but those who had been on the stage, the other past Queens and Helen’s and Ingrid’s moms dropped back and stopped. After we had gone maybe two hundred feet up the path a fog began to settle on the valley. As I looked back towards town I could not see the town, Anna’s house or the road. I could hear the chants but could not see the people. They continued to chant as we moved on up the mountain. There were torches placed along the path to light our way in the fog.

We passed through a stone pass. There were two black stone columns on either side of the path. Each had a torch on top of it and an iron gate hung open to allow us to pass. The four of us had been in this area yesterday and I did not remember seeing any stone outcroppings or stone columns as we walked through this area.

We continued forward through the woods and the fog. We came to an old wooden bridge that was probably fifty feet long and crossed it. On the other side of the bridge was the clearing Grandma had described to me. We entered on the northwest corner. To our left was a wall of rock. Across from us the wall continued to wrap around the clearing. I could see the cave in the wall on the far side. There were torches all around the clearing. There were two immediately on each side of the cave. Although there was no moon, there was a dim light which illuminated the clearing and seemed to come from the fog which hovered just above the top of the May Pole. The May Pole was in the center of the clearing. At its base it appeared to be over two feet in diameter. It rose straight up to at least 100’ high. It was painted in the eight colors and also had decorative paintings up its entire length. A spring flowed from the small cave and off to our right. I could not see where the edge of the clearing was on the right. As we crossed the bridge it appeared that it was a long way down to ground below the bridge. The entire clearing was covered in different colored flowers.

The eight past Queens went to the May Pole while the fourteen of us formed a circle around them. The May Pole had a lot of long ribbons tied to its top. The ribbons were in the eight Maypole colors, orange, brown, blue, purple, yellow, green, pink and red. The ribbons were 8 to 10 inches wide and were longer that the pole was tall. There were two ribbons on opposite sides of the pole from one another. One was white and one was black. They were both 16 to 20 inches wide. There were eight wooden poles which stood about five feet tall in an octagon shape about twenty feet out from the pole. There were steel rods running from one pole to the next. The ribbons were draped over these rods. The May Faeys formed two circles outside of the poles. The other past Queens and Helen’s and Ingrid’s mothers went to stand along the north stone wall.

Andrea welcomed everyone to the beginning of the festival and called upon the Spirit of summer to provide for our needs and to bring forth a bountiful crop. She said some other things but I didn’t understand what she said. I did hear the word Jungfrau, and some other things, but I couldn’t make any sense of it.

She then called the four of us forward. Each of our mothers also came forward. At this time Estelle and Anika joined the eight past Queens and their courts went to stand with the May Faeys. Our mothers took our staffs and hats from us and carried them to the cave. When they returned the four of us knelt in front of the ten Queens and received their blessing as Princesses of the May Pole. We were then led to the May Pole and each of us stood on a small wooden platform which was about a foot off the ground with our backs to the pole. Anna was to my right and Ingrid was to my left. That meant that Helen was directly behind me on the other side of the pole. Our mothers then took flower ropes and wrapped them around us and the pole. The four of us held hands and our hands were also wrapped with flower ropes. When they were finished Helen’s and Ingrid’s mothers walked back to the north stone wall.

Mom and Irma were joined by the Queen and the past queens and formed a circle around the four of us. They said something that sounded like an incantation. As the incantation was repeated the Queen walked over to cave, took a chalice from the cave and filled it with water from the spring. She walked back to the Pole, took a drink and handed it to Anika. Anika took a drink and passed it to Mom. Finally it was passed to Andrea who drank from the chalice and then said a short type of prayer. She then stepped forward and offered it to Anna. After Anna had taken a drink Andrea kissed her on the forehead and moved on to Helen and repeated the process. It was again repeated with Ingrid. I was last and then she kissed me on the top of my head. Andrea said something I could not understand, she then took another drink from the chalice and poured the rest of the contents on the ground around the May Pole. The incantation continued all this time.

The May Faeys then stepped forward and each one took the end of one of the ribbons. They stepped back until the ribbons were pulled tight. Queen Anika took the end of the black ribbon and Queen Estelle took the up the end of the white ribbon.

Each of the other eight queens removed one of the rods from between the poles. They carried the poles over to the cave and placed them into openings in the cave wall. They returned and removed the poles from the ground. They again carried them to the cave and placed them inside the cave. As they returned Andrea carried something that looked like a crank. She then inserted the crank into the May Pole. The eight queens took turns turning the crank. Each one turned the crank four turns. By the time they finished we were at a height of about sixteen feet in the air. The crank was removed and they stepped back to stand at the entrance to the cave.

Then everyone except the four of us started to sing a song. They started off very softly but the volume grew as the May Faeys started to move. It was amazing to watch. Every other girl would move to her right and the girls on either side would move to their left. Except Anika and Estelle who stood where they were outside the circles of Faeys. As the May Faeys moved they would weave in and out. The result was that the May Pole was wrapped with the multicolored ribbons. By moving in and out the May Faeys wove the ribbons so that they were criss-crossed as they wrapped the pole.

My mom told me later that the way the May Faeys wrapped the pole insures that the ribbons won’t come loose and helped to hold the four of us to the pole so that we wouldn’t fall and get hurt.

As everyone continued to sing and the May Faeys danced around the pole I was getting sleepy. I remember the ribbons starting to encircle me and I felt them holding me to the pole. I was surprised that it didn’t hurt my back or that I didn’t have trouble breathing. I again thought I saw my Grandma smiling at me. My last thought was ‘Wow this is really comforting, I think I know what it feels like to be in a cocoon’.

I remember some weird dreams. It was about German Princesses and Fairy Princesses and Goddesses. I remember my dreams were in German and an ancient language I had never heard but now somehow understood. I have no idea how long we were wrapped in the May Pole. I learned later that we were wrapped up all night and into the next morning.

My mom told me later that when the May Faeys got to our feet they stopped and the Queens came forward and again inserted the crank. They then lowered the wooden platform back to the ground. The four of us were held to the pole by the ribbons. After the crank was removed, the May Faeys continued to wrap the pole and tied the ribbons off to the bottom of the pole. At that point the singing stopped and a chant began as Estelle and Anika circled the pole in the same direction and wrapped the pole in the black and white ribbons. It looked like a barber pole but in black and white. When they were done, the chanting stopped and small bonfires were lit around the May Pole.

Everyone except the eight past queens returned to town where the Festival, dancing and drinking continued long into the night. Throughout the night one of the past queens held vigil over the pole and the four of us.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

At mid morning Queen Estelle, her court, Anika, her court, and the May Faeys returned. Queen Estelle and Queen Anika unwound the black and white ribbons. The May Faeys then untied the ribbons and began chanting as they unwound the ribbons.

The chanting is what woke me up and I recognized it as an ancient tongue which was no longer spoken. As I started to wake up the ribbons reached my feet. Mom and Irma inserted the crank and the platform was raised to where our feet were. The May Faeys then unwound the ribbons until they were above our heads. We were then lowered to the ground and released from the pole. The four of us were moved away from the pole by the Queens and we lay down on cushions in the cave. The pole was re-wrapped by the May Faeys. As I lay on the cushion and watched I noted that even though the four of us were no longer attached to the pole, the ribbons still held our shapes as they were re-wrapped. When they finished tying off the ribbons the black and white ribbons fell from the pole and were retrieved by Estelle and Anika and placed in the cave.

I felt totally refreshed and awake. Each of us was given water and a sandwich to give us some strength. As I became more aware of my setting I noticed that things had changed. My hair was now down to my mid-back. My skin seemed softer and I had what I thought were big breasts. For some reason I was very calm. If anything, I felt as happy as I had ever been. Mom whispered to me that we would talk about it later.

At that time the four of us were helped to stand. When I looked at the other three I was amazed. They were all very pretty, even beautiful. Anna’s hair was a dark brown but with auburn highlights. Her eyes which had been hazel were the most amazing golden brown, almost rust in color. Her hair had a curl to it which bounced when she moved her head. Her figure was perfect. She moved with a grace she did not have before.

Ingrid looked like I imagined Snow White would look. She had coal black hair which was straight and when the sun struck it, it looked to be a dark blue. She had dark blue eyes and dark pink lips which looked almost red. When I looked closely at her eyes I swore I saw flecks of red in her eyes. She had a lithe figure and moved almost like a cat.

Helen had beautiful auburn hair with a gentle wave that framed her oval face with startling green eyes the color of emeralds. She had light freckles on her face and arms and had the most enigmatic smile. Her movements were almost regal in nature.

When Mom held a mirror in front of my face I almost fainted. I was 13 years old, but I thought I looked closer to 16. My hair was a light blond, almost white, but with golden highlights. My face was soft with full lips. Most of all I noticed my eyes. They were a blue but they were almost violet if the light changed in a certain way. I knew I was just as pretty as my three friends. I reminded myself very much of my grandmother. I moved with a confident step that I didn’t have before.

Our dresses had changed too. All of them were the same. Instead of the high necks and long sleeves of last night they had scoop necks and short cap sleeves over short sleeved blouses. They stopped just below our knees and all of them were of a swirling pattern which had all eight colors. When I looked closely I noticed that mine had a little bit more blue and purple than the others and they each had a little more of their colors. Our aprons were of white silk, but the edges were trimmed in our “colors”.

As I looked around the meadow I realized that the fog was still present but the clearing was illuminated as though the sun was shining. Although many people had walked through the clearing it was still filled with flowers. There was no trace of their footprints.

I looked questioningly at Mom and she simply said, “We’ll talk later.”

At noon Queen Estelle led us back to town. Our hats were now placed on our heads and we carried our staffs. Each of the four of us was accompanied by one of the members of the Queen’s court. Margaret was my companion. The past Queens, including Anika, followed behind us. The May Faeys ran ahead to alert everyone of our approach. As we crossed the bridge I looked back at the clearing and could not see where we had just passed as the flowers were everywhere.

When we passed through the stone columns I noticed that they were now white. As we neared the road I looked back and the fog was lifting. I could not see the columns or stone pass, only the pine forest. There was a rainbow over the area from where we had come.

As we approached the Town Square the streets were again lined with people who closed in behind us as we passed.

We again climbed the steps to the stage. The Queen and her court took their seats and the past queens walked behind them and set in chairs which had been placed there for them. The four of us remained standing in front of the Queen. She stood and curtsied to us which we returned. Then the Minister and the Mayor both stepped forward from the side of the stage and directed us to face the front of the stage. As we did the entire crowd broke into loud applause. The Mayor said that the success of the May Pole ceremony would mean continued prosperity for the Town and the entire valley.

The Minister signaled for me to step forward. I was confused, what was this about. I tried to look at Mom but she was behind me. I looked around and that is when I saw my Grandma Helga standing with Grandpa Erich and Dad. She was smiling at me and motioned that I should do as I was asked. I stepped forward to the Minister. He bent down and kissed me on my right cheek, then my left cheek, he lifted my hat off my head and kissed me on the top of my head. He replaced my hat, turned me around, and stood me in front of him as we faced the crowd, he placed his hands on my shoulders and then exclaimed, “The Prophecy has been renewed, the blessing of God our Father and all the Gods and Goddesses shall continue to bring prosperity to this valley.

The crowd again applauded and started singing a hymn. I knew it was an old German hymn but I now understood the words. It told the story of an ancient Valkyrie, Sigrdrá­fa, who was praising the Gods for the blessing of prosperity which was given to her people. It went on to thank the Goddesses for blessing the valley with beauty and for honoring her people through the Goddesses’ acceptance of those presented to her.

The four of us again curtsied to the Queen and past Queens. The Queen and past Queens stood and then descended the steps of the stage to the applause of the crowd. We followed them and we then walked to the Town Hall. Our moms met us there and took each of us home. We would return that night for the final dinner and celebration.

Mom and Grandma took me back to Andreas. Andrea went with Irma and Anna to their home. Other past Queens went Helen and Ingrid. We had lunch. It was then that they explained to me the significance of the festival and more importantly the part which the May Princesses play in the good fortune of the community and the surrounding valley. Afterwards we returned to the Festival.

The Festival continued throughout the day and night with games, food and drink, and dancing. People from throughout the entire valley were present and celebrated the successful May Pole ceremony. I sat with my family and then Anna, Ingrid and Helen came and the four of us walked around the festival. Where ever we went we were hugged. Everyone smiled at me and thanked me for my participation in the ceremony. It was all very embarrassing. As it got dark I found I was very tired and Mom and Irma took Anna and me back to Irma’s before we fell asleep sitting up.

We stayed on for another week and then returned home. “But, that my dears, is the story of my special May Day.”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Darcy was the first to speak. “But Mom I have so many questions. How did your dress change? How did your hair and boobs grow? What did our Grandma and your Grandma say later?”

Devan added, “What’s this about prosperity and a prophecy? You can’t stop now.”

“And you said it changed your life, I know it was some kind of special May Day but how did it change your life Mom,” asked Darcy.

As I had been telling the story my mom had slipped in the back door and was sitting in a chair behind the girls. She cleared her throat and the girls both jumped. I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on their faces. They both blushed and then jumped up to go hug their Grandma. Since we had been sitting there for a couple hours while I told my tale we decided to take a break, get a snack, and see to other things.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Mom suggested that we sit in the family room to continue the story. Mom was now almost 70 years old, but she could easily pass for someone in their mid 50's. She looked and me and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

I nodded my head and smiled at her. Mom then said, “Girls, what your mother and I are about to tell you is only for the two of you and no one else. It is a story of our family, our traditions, and our legacy. Can you both agree to this?”

Darcy and Devan looked at each other and both nodded their heads. My mom motioned for me to continue.

“Since that wonderful vacation I have learned a lot about the wonderful valley where your Great Grandmother grew up. I spent hours talking with her and Mom and learned all about the history of the May Pole. I have returned to visit several times. As the two of you are my daughters and are now physically mature young women. - - “

“Mom, I haven’t done anything with anybody so don’t go saying I’m mature!” shouted Darcy.

“Darcy, I didn’t mean that you had done anything with anybody, I just meant that now that both of you are having your monthly visitor it is time to share this story with you.

“Okay Mom, sorry I just didn’t want you or Grandma thinking I was doing it”.

Devan didn’t say anything, but she did have the good sense to blush. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to take that.

“Anyway, as I was saying, it is time that you learned the history of the valley and of our family. The May Pole Festival goes back at least 1,500 years. There are indications that it was part of a Pagan ritual. But, as you heard, the local church now participates in the ceremony and blesses the participants.

The songs which are sung and the invocations have been passed down from generation to generation. It is the women who are instrumental in the tradition. Although the May Pole is wrapped and the festival takes place every year, the key to the tradition is what is now known as the leap years. I do not know how that came to be because it is not believed that the Pagans or early Christians celebrated a leap year. However, for the last several hundred years the leap year celebration is the key to this tradition.

Remember that this area is a rural farming area and in the past relied upon a successful harvest for its survival. The May Pole started out as a celebration of the Summer Solstice and the people would ask God and the older Gods and Goddesses for their blessing of a good and bountiful crop. This particular valley is considered to be one of the most fertile in all of Europe. The local wines are thought to be some of the best in the world. The crops are always large and the animals are never barren. The farms have remained in the same families for centuries.

The reason for this is that everyone knows that the prosperity of the valley is due to the blessings received from higher powers and the people continuing to perform the May Pole Ceremony. The community chose not to celebrate the Ceremony in 1828 and 1829. As you know the fire which destroyed the village occurred in May 1829.

Grandma Heidi looked at both of the girls and admonished them, “I can tell by the looks on your faces that you are not inclined to take this seriously. After we are done I believe your attitudes will change and when you go there in 2012 you will see for yourselves.”

“What your Grandma is trying to tell you is that in three years we will be taking you and your brother over to Switzerland for the May Pole Festival and you will be able to experience the Festival for yourself. But right now I want you to keep your mind open to what we are telling you. Okay?”

They both chorused, “Yes Mom.”

“As I told you every fourth year is the key year. That is the year that the May Pole Princesses are selected and are wrapped with the pole. At least one of the girls has to be a daughter or granddaughter of a past Queen or May Pole Princess. When I was the Princess Anna was that daughter. That is why the groups were divided as they were. Each of the final four groups had one girl who was the daughter or granddaughter of a past Queen or May Pole Princess.

One part of the prophecy is that if the girls are virtuous and accept the blessing bestowed upon them then they will be changed. As I described, their clothes change, their eye color changes, their hair and their figure. If they are changed by the ceremony then the prosperity of the valley continues. Do you understand?”

“Yes, but you said ‘one part’ that means there is more and you still haven’t answered my question as to why this changed your life. What else is there Mom?” asked Darcy.

Devan sat thinking for a moment and added, “Mom didn’t you also meet the requirements? I mean your Grandma Heidi was a Queen and Great Grandma Helga, was a May Pole Princess. You should have been double qualified.”

I looked at my Mom and she continued.

“Devan, I will answer your question in a moment. Girls what your mom has been trying to say is that there is a more significant part to the Prophecy as we call it. It only involves two or three branches of women from certain families of the valley. Our branch is one of those branches.

There is a part of the Prophecy which makes the changes we’ve talked about seem very minor. Every generation one of the daughters of our family must be selected to be a Queen or May Pole Princess on a leap year. That selection must be made when they are between the ages of 13 and 18 and while they are still a virgin. That is one of the reasons we are having this talk now.

I had hoped that since Irma and I were each chosen to be a Queen that the legacy would follow her. But she didn’t have any sons. I did. So I knew the legacy was mine to bear.”

“So what’s the big deal you had two sons and a daughter and Mom was a May Pole Princess, the prophecy was satisfied wasn’t it?” asked Darcy.

“Patience child, as they say, all will be revealed.”

“The real prophecy comes from the second part of the May Pole tradition. Before I get into that though I have to ask you a question that I know you are not going to want to answer. However, you have to answer it and you have to answer it truthfully. Will you both agree to do that?”

Darcy and Devan looked at one another and both reluctantly said “yes”.

“Are you still dressing your brother Arron up as a girl?”

Both of the girls turned pale and looked down at their laps. I spoke up then and said, “It’s okay, I know you have been doing it and I know that Arron enjoys it. I know he does it on his own when you aren’t around. It’s really okay.”

“Mom, Grandma, we’re sorry we didn’t know what to do. When we first did it was just a joke, but Arron started asking to play dress up and then after a while he wanted to be our little sister. So we tried to be careful and not let you find out, but I guess we weren’t careful enough,” offered Darcy.

I got up and hugged both of them. “I know and your dad and I love you for it. It’s nothing that you or Arron did it is part of the prophecy. You see, if the youngest child is born a boy then he may fulfill the true part of the prophecy. But he has to want to be a girl, be a girl in his heart and be a May Pole Princess.”

At that point I had to look away. Grandma Heidi went on, “What your mom is trying to tell you is that when you go to Schá¼pfheim three things can happen, one of the two of you can be chosen to be Queen, one of the two of you can be chosen to be a May Pole Princess, or Arron can be chosen to be a May Pole Princess. Everyone in the Village knows that whenever a boy is chosen to be a May Pole Princess and is changed then Prosperity for the Valley will continue for at least 100 years.

My mother, your Great Grandmother Helga moved from the village because of this. She had hoped that the legacy would go to one of her sisters. Regardless of her hope she took me back when I was 15 and I was selected to be the Queen. As your mom told you, Helga was a May Pole Princess. What she didn’t tell you was that my mom’s name before she was the May Pole Princess was Henri.

Both of the girls looked at me with questioning eyes.

“Mom continued, if your brother is selected to be the May Pole Princess I anticipate that her name will be Erin after the transformation. Because, as you now understand, the May Pole wrapping will totally transform a boy who believes in his heart that he is a girl into a girl. Isn’t that right Dani, that’s now with an ‘i’ and not a ‘y’ as it was originally.”

Apprehensively I looked at my daughters and said, “So now you know why it was a life changing experience and a May Day I will always remember.” As they both jumped up to embrace me my eyes filled with tears of joy for the love of my daughters.

The End

I would like to thank Puddin’ for her invaluable insight suggestions and criticisms. I would also like to thank Stanman for his editing and proofreading. Unfortunately I changed the story a lot and added material after his work. So, all the errors, mistakes and misnomers are mine. I hope everyone enjoyed the story ------ Dru