Think back to your childhood and the memories that stand out the most. We’re pretty sure most of them revolve around family rituals and traditions that you’ve perhaps carried through into your own family. The past year has taught us just how important creating these “magic moments” with our families is, celebrating the small and big, serious and silly occasions that make up our lives. Family traditions are very powerful things and are wonderful for bonding families together and for creating life-long memories.
That’s why we’ve decided to run a new blog series focusing on rituals and traditions around the world, and in our own families. To kick off the new series, we’re diving into rituals and traditions in May!
May Day
May Day, also known as International Worker’s Day or Labor Day, is observed as a public holiday in some regions. It is rooted in the celebration of Spring from as far back as the Middle Ages, with children and adults alike dancing around the Maypole, collecting wildflowers and weaving floral wreaths. Sounds idyllic right? Rather than just see May Day as another day off, start your own family May Day traditions!
- Create your own Maypole: while this one may only happen at May Day festivals nowadays, it doesn’t mean you can’t bring this charming tradition into your own backyard! Tie colorful ribbons to a pole and secure the pole in the ground. Now all that’s left to do is kick your shoes off and dance around the Maypole to welcome the warmer weather.
- Make May Baskets: in the 19th and 20th centuries, people would fill paper baskets or cones with spring flowers and sweet treats and leave them at their neighbor’s doorsteps anonymously. While this tradition has largely fallen away, there’s nothing stopping you from reviving it! Get your kids in on the fun, by folding colorful paper into cones (we have beautiful digital papers for download) and filling them up with flowers or tasty treats to put spring on your neighbors step!
- Collect Flowers: round up the troops and go collect cuttings of flowering trees and shrubs to decorate your home
- Create a Lei: In Hawaii, May Day is referred to as Lei Day, and Hawaiians celebrate by making garlands made out of bright flowers.
- Go Bare: Barefoot, that is! Go for a barefoot family walk and enjoy the fresh, morning dew on your toes.
Cinco De Mayo
In Mexico, Cinco De Mayo tends to be celebrated on the streets with bright and colorful parades. Festival-goers wear patriotic clothing and accessories, and often will watch a re-enactment of Mexico’s victory over the French to mark the occasion.
In the USA, Cinco De Mayo is most often celebrated at home with friends and family with parties that include dressing up in costumes, party decorations in the colors of the Mexican flag and sometimes, even Mariachi bands or listening to Mexican folk music. Another common Cinco De Mayo tradition, and probably everyone’s favorite tradition, is indulging in a delicious Mexican feast, complete with nachos, tacos, enchiladas and other delicacies.
Get some inspiration for a spirited Cinco De Mayo celebration with our range of Cinco De Mayo party printables and start a new family tradition!
Mother’s Day
On the second Sunday of May, most countries around the world are celebrating someone very special… moms! We all have our own special ways of letting our moms know just how much we love them, but one of our favorite Mother’s Day traditions has got to be breakfast in bed. Nothing says “I love you” quite like a tray filled with your favorite eats and a hot cuppa while snuggled up in bed!
Another Mother’s Day tradition we love, is a Mother’s Day High Tea. This is a great way to celebrate the occasion with the whole family, so all the mom’s in the family enjoy a special treat. Set the table with your best tea-set, cakes, savouries and of course, some pretty flowers.
We have a beautiful set of FREE high tea printables you can grab here to spruce up your table.
Other Mother’s Day Ideas:
- For girl moms, visiting a nail spa together for some pampering is a great tradition to get some special time in with your girls.
- For moms who don’t love eating first thing in the morning, a lazy Mother’s Day brunch is a wonderful family tradition to start.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a commemorative holiday in America, observed on the last Monday in May each year. The day is used to honor the brave men and women who have lost their lives while serving in the US military.
How to observe Memorial Day
- Memorial Day Button: you can wear a Memorial Day button or poppy throughout the month of May, but particularly on Memorial Day itself.
- Place Flowers: Pay your respects to the fallen heroes by visiting graves with your family and placing wreaths, flowers or flags on gravestones, especially if you have personally lost someone close to your family.
- Fly the Flag: Teach your kids how to fly the flag at half-mast as a sign of respect to the soldiers who gave their lives for the safety of US citizens.
- Church Services: If you are religious, Memorial Day services are held at most places of worship and are lovely to attend on this commemorative holiday.
- Parades: Attend your local Memorial Day parade, community event or memorial site
- Teach your kids about the Day: It’s important your kids understand why Memorial Day is observed and the importance of honouring those that have been lost. A great way to do this is through reading kid-friendly stories or articles together as a family and allowing them to ask questions. You can also listen to stories or podcasts of soldiers and if your kids are old enough, watch war-themed patriotic movies together to end off the day.
- Memorial Day Crafts: Make patriotic crafts with your kids to decorate your home like bunting or paper flags.
- Baking Day: Make some of your favorite American-themed desserts with your kids to show your patriotism like banana cream pie, peach cobbler, New York style cheesecake or this delicious no-bake s’mores cake.
- Memorial Day Picnic: With Spring in the air, spending time as a family out in nature is a great way to spend Memorial Day. Whether it’s in your local park or next to the gravesite of a lost loved one, pack some American-themed food and hold a moment of silence together in memory of those who have been lost. If you prefer a backyard BBQ, that’s also a firm favorite Memorial Day family tradition in many homes.
- Letter Writing: Write letters as a family to the families of soldiers who have died or to soldiers currently in service to thank them for sacrificing so much for their country. There are drop off points all over the country which you can find here.
How you choose to spend Memorial Day depends very much on your preference and the age of your kids. But we hope the above ideas will help you form new family traditions on Memorial Day going forward.
One a Day in May Challenge
Call us grammar nerds, but we love a good rhyme! So what better month than May for a “One a Day” challenge? There’s no set rules when it comes to making your own family’s One A Day in May Challenge. This can become your own daily family ritual for the month of May that you can either all do together or report back on progress at the end of each day.
For example, you could all do one random act of kindness every day in May. Or if your kids hate eating vegetables, they can commit to eating one veg a day all of May. It doesn’t matter what the “one a day” is, as long as you do it together as a family and use it as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Here are some “One A Day in May” challenge ideas:
- Eat 1 Green vegetable a day
- Run 1 mile a day
- Do 1 random act of kindness a day
- Say 1 prayer a day
- Meditate once a day
- Do 1 physical activity a day
- Read a news article (or something similar) a day
- Read one chapter of a book a day
- Watch one episode of a show as a family or a movie together a day
So, you’ll see from the above, it can really be anything. If you’ve all been itching to get active, eat healthier or watch that new series, make May the month to get it done!
Fun Days in May
You don’t only need to create traditions and fun family rituals around holidays, you can find something in to celebrate in everyday life, like one of these themed days.
- Lupus Awareness Month is in May
- May is National Barbecue Month
- Garden Meditation Day – May 3
- National Teacher’s Day – May 4
- Star Wars Day – May 4
- Space Day – May 7
- Lost Sock Memorial Day – May 9 (RIP to all the socks lost in the washing machine)
- Clean Your Room Day – May 10
- Eat What You Want Day – May 11
- International Nurses Day – May 12
- Dance Like a Chicken Day – May 14
- National Chocolate Chip Day – May 15
- Love A Tree Day – May 16
- Visit Your Relatives Day – May 18
- World Plant A Vegetable Day – May 19
- World Turtle Day – May 23
- International Tiara Day – May 24
- National Brown Bag It Day – May 25
- Don’t Fry Friday – May 28
Things To Do With Elders in May
It’s very important to make time for elders in our busy schedules and teach kids to respect their special grannies and grandpa’s. They have a wealth of knowledge to share with your kids and can teach them important life lessons as well as being a part of special childhood memories.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the start of Spring and balmy weather beckons us to spend a bit more time outdoors. It’s also the perfect time to plant a garden! If you’d like to do something special with granny and grandpa this month, why not ask them to spend some time in the garden with the kids, teaching them how to plant properly and the names of the various plants. There will always be a special section of the garden grandparents were a part of planting and it also teaches your kids some handy gardening skills!
In the Southern Hemisphere, things are getting a little chilly, so indoor activities are more suitable in May! A baking date with grandma learning her secret apple pie recipe or snuggling up on the couch for story time with grandpa will leave lasting memories with your kids.
May is a jam-packed month filled with plenty of opportunities to create family traditions and lifelong memories with your kids. What are your special family traditions or rituals you observe in the month of May? We’d love to hear from you in the comments or on our social media pages!
