Crowning of the May Queen - Loders May Fair 12th May 2007

On the 12th May 2007, the village of Loders held their annual May Fair. During the May Fair celebration its is tradition to select a girl (usually a teenage girl from a specific school year)to represent the May Queen to ride or walk at the front of a parade. She wears a white gown to symbolise purity and usually a tiara or crown. Her duty is to begin the May Day celebrations. She is generally crowned by flowers and makes a speech before the dancing begins. Certain age groups dance round a May pole celebrating youth and the spring time. The May Queen is said to represent the goddess of spring, flower bride, queen of the faeries, and the lady of the flowers. The May Queen is a symbol of the stillness of nature around which everything revolves. She embodies purity, strength and the potential for growth, as the plants grow in May. She is one of many personifications of the energy of the earth. More details of the Loders May Fair can be found on the Loders School Website http://www.loders.dorset.sch.uk/sum2007/mayfair/may.htm Discover more Dorset traditions in the book 'Dark Dorset Calendar Customs', by Robert Newland, now available at Amazon.co.uk. Visit the Dark Dorset website, http://www.darkdorset.co.uk or blog http://darkdorset.blogspot.com and open the door to a world of fascinating folklore and legends.

Keywords: Bridport, Customs, Dancing, Dark, Darkdorset, Day, Dorset, Fair, Folk, Folklore, Loders, May, Pole, Queen, School