Harry's Gang: This May Day may bring a new tradition to the fore

Today, the first of May, "May Day," is a date of significance for several reasons.

May 1 is "Law Day" in America. The American Bar Association celebrates the day as recognition of how the law played a significant role in our society and the role the law played in the formation of our country. I'd never heard of it until I started working at the Newby Law office and Patty Murto, then unknown to me, called looking for volunteers to give free legal advice to people at the courthouse.

Of course, I said "yes" and that started a long history of not being able to say "no" to Patty Murto. Patty retired from the Volunteer Attorney Program a few years ago, after building it up significantly. For some reason, Law Day is not as big a deal as it was just a few years ago, but I still can't say "no" to Patty.

May Day is also a religious holiday among Christians, although its popularity has died down in the past couple of decades. It was traditionally a day to honor the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, as well as a tribute to the patron saint of the workers, St. Joseph, who happened to be married to Mary when Jesus was born.

As kids, my siblings and I attended Catholic school in Duluth, and May Day was a pretty fun festival at our parish. We had a Maypole, and the kids performed a little dance around it with colored ribbons. I also remember a bazaar, and a bake sale and a white elephant sale. I was very proud to see my friends at the white elephant sale and inform them that, no, no actual white elephants were available for purchase. But it turned out all their parents had told them that too, for some reason, so I impressed no one. White elephant sales are a thing of the past, too.

We also assembled May baskets, and left them at the back door of our neighbor up the hill, who was a widow. My brother Bill and I knocked on her back door and ran, as we were instructed by my mother, who had apparently warned Mrs. Prudholm that we were coming. A mother-sanctioned version of ding-dong ditch? We ran down the hill with glee.

After we moved to Two Harbors, there wasn't as much celebration of May Day, although there was some festival in Finland that seemed pretty popular. A lot of alcohol was involved, I recall, and it wasn't as family-friendly as our church events. I didn't see a real May Day celebration again until I moved to Minneapolis to finish college; there was a big event at Powderhorn Park that my buddy Rolk dragged us to every year, and while it was fun, my clothes smelled like patchouli for days afterward. It's hard to launder out that smell, I learned.

May Day is still celebrated in Europe, especially as a sort of Labor Day, to recognize the efforts of the working people. It's not as political or religious as it once was, apparently, and I understand many people treat it as we treat our Labor Day, as an opportunity to take a long weekend. Rest, I guess, is a respectable way to celebrate labor.

The communists held a May Day event for years, with a show of war machinery and patriotism in front of the Kremlin in Red Square. Even following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians still celebrate the day as an homage to the workers.

This year, many of us will stay home, spend time with family, and stay away from stores, sporting events and public gatherings. Maybe this should be a new May Day tradition?

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko who hosts the talk show Harry's Gang on CAT-7. His opinions are his own. Contact him at [email protected].