05/25/2026
A decade ago the Odd & Fascinating John Schalcosky posted this magnificent group of Chatham U students’ photos from the school’s May Day festival which ran from 1900-1947. One of the most valuable parts of this post is that the NAMES of some of these women are given.
Just having a photo of a female simply enjoying herself with her friends is a rarity. For that to be accompanied by the place & date AND her name is the stuff unicorns are made from…
Chatham was a *female* college, most students came from Pgh’s wealthy, privileged families. It’s fascinating to watch as fest themes, women’s fashion, etc changed over the 5 ensuing decades.
This incredible collection from the Jennie King Mellon Library & the Chatham University Archives features many photographs of the Annual May Day Festival that was held every year beginning in the early 1900s.
Traditionally, May Day has been celebrated since the ancient days in England where prevailed a custom of "bringing in the May". Many would go into the woods in the early dawn to pick flowers and lopped off tender branches to bring them inside & decorate their houses. Some of the various traditions (which are featured in the photograph collection) include:
May Day and flowers:
It has always been strongly associated with flowers. Partly may be because of their availability in abundance. But that is not all. There are other reasons as well. For instance, the May Garland and beggar girls.
Making garland is one of those ancient May Day customs that has survived till today. May garlands, is meant for the coming of summer. May garlands were also used while begging by the kids from door to door. At other times of the year, begging would have been an offense. But if it was done at May time with a garland. This is why groups of small girls, crowned with leaves and flowers, went from door to door singing and begging.
Maypole dance:
On the first day of May, English villagers woke up at daybreak to roam the countryside gathering blossoming flowers and branches. A towering maypole was set up on the village green. This pole, usually made of the trunk of a tall birch tree, was decorated with bright field flowers. The villagers then danced and sang around the maypole, accompanied by a piper.
May Queen:
Also part of the celebration was the crowning of a May Queen. When the sun rose, the maypole was decked with leaves, flowers, and ribbons while dancing and singing went on around it. The Queen was chosen from the pretty girls of the village to reign over the May Day festivities. Crowned on a flower-covered throne, she was drawn in a decorated cart by young men or her maids of honor to the village green. She would be crowned there right on the green spot. She was set in an arbor of flowers and often the dancing was performed around her, rather than around the Maypole.
All Photographs & Captions are courtesy of The Chatham University Archives. (http://goo.gl/uGZwhJ)
