thumb|upright=1.35|Dancing around the midsummer pole, in [[Åmmeberg, Sweden]]
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected during Midsummer (20–26 June). In some cases, the maypole is a permanent feature that is only utilized during the festival, although in other cases it is erected specifically for the purpose before being taken down again.
Primarily found within the nations of Germanic Europe and the neighboring areas which they have influenced, its origins remain unknown. It has often been speculated that the maypole originally had some importance in the Germanic paganism of Iron Age and early Medieval cultures and that the tradition survived Christianisation, albeit losing any original meaning that it had. It has been a recorded practice in many parts of Europe throughout the Medieval and Early Modern periods, although it became less popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the tradition is still observed in some parts of Europe and among European communities in the Americas.
Symbolism
thumb|Children dancing around a maypole in England, 1945
English historian Ronald Hutton concurs with Swedish scholar Carl Wilhelm von Sydow who stated that maypoles were erected "simply" as "signs that the happy season of warmth and comfort had returned." Their shape allowed for garlands to be hung from them and were first seen, at least in the British Isles, between AD 1350 and 1400 within the context of medieval Christian European culture. Ronald Hutton, however, states that "there is absolutely no evidence that the maypole was regarded as a reflection of it."
Some observers have proposed phallic symbolism, an idea which was expressed by Thomas Hobbes, who wrongly believed that the poles dated back to the Roman worship of the god Priapus. This notion has been supported by various figures since, including the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Phallic symbolism has been attributed to the maypole in the later early modern period, as one sexual reference is in John Cleland's controversial novel Fanny Hill:
<blockquote>
... and now, disengaged from the shirt, I saw, with wonder and surprise, what? not the plaything of a boy, not the weapon of a man, but a maypole of so enormous a standard, that had have proportions been observed, it must have belonged to a young giant.
</blockquote>
Ronald Hutton has stated, however, that "there is no historical basis for his claim and no sign that the people who used maypoles thought that they were phallic" and that "they were not carved to appear so."
Regional traditions
Europe
Belgium
thumb|The planting of the [[Meyboom in Brussels, Belgium]]
In Belgium, the Maypole is called or in Dutch. Hasselt erects its on 30 April. In Brussels and Leuven, the is traditionally erected on 9 August before 5 p.m.
The planting of the in Brussels is reminiscent of a long-standing (folkloric) feud with Leuven, dating back to 1213. In that year, a brawl broke out between the two cities, which saw the former victorious. To commemorate this event, Brussels was granted, almost 100 years later, the eternal right by John II, Duke of Brabant, to erect a , but only if they managed to do this every year on 9 August before 5 p.m. Following a "theft" of the tree in 1974, Leuven has also claimed ownership of the only official Meyboom. Ever since, the two cities have been involved in a friendly rivalry to decide who has the "real" Meyboom.
It is also customary, mostly in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, to place a branch (also called a ) on the highest point of a building under construction. The erection of the branch is often cause for celebration by both the workmen and the neighbors.
Germany and Austria
thumb|Maypole, Villach Land, [[Carinthia, Austria]]
thumb|Rhenish maypole for a girl in [[Königswinter, Germany]]
In Germany and Austria, the maypole (or ) is a tradition going back to the 16th century. It is a decorated tree or tree trunk that is usually erected either on 1 May – in Baden and Swabia – or on the evening before, for example, in East Frisia. In most areas, especially in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Austria, it is usual to have a ceremony to erect the maypole on the village green. The custom of combining it with a village or town fete, which usually takes place on 1 May or April 30 at Pentecost (Whitsun), is widespread. This tradition is especially strong in the villages of the Bavarian Alps where the raising of the traditional maypole on 1 May in the village square is a cause for much celebration. Some poles are painted in the Bavarian colors of white and blue; most are decorated with emblems depicting local crafts and industry. In Bavaria, the is procured, prepared and then stored in some building, such as a farmer's barn days or weeks before being erected on 1 May. The young men from the villages try to steal the from each other (out of the storage places) which is why the people of the village take turns in watching over it. If a village manages to steal a , then the village the has been stolen from has to invite the whole village of the thieves to free beer and a festivity to get it back.
Just before the is erected, depending on the region, there may be a procession through the village, usually ending at a central place and/or restaurant and usually watched by crowds of spectators and accompanied by a brass band. The actual installation of the tree then takes place in the afternoon or evening. The maypole is traditionally set up with the help of long poles, today it may sometimes also be done using tractors, forklifts, or even cranes. In Lower Austria ropes and ladders are used.
If the communal tree is erected already on the eve of 1 May, then the event is usually followed by a May dance or . Depending on local custom, the may remain in place all year round or may be taken down at the end of May. The trunk may then be stored until the following year.
From the Rhineland in and around Cologne originates a somewhat different, private, maytree tradition. During the night before 1 May, traditionally unmarried men erect cut young birch trees, complete with their spring green foliage, often decorated with multicoloured satin (sometimes crepe paper) streamers, in front of the house of their sweetheart. (Sometimes, but rarely, additionally with a (heartshaped) sign bearing the name of the adored person. Normally the person who "is meant" (and neighbours etc.) is/are left to just guess/speculate about the identity of the involved.) These individual may trees can be spotted in other regions of the country, too, and even in urban environments where people sometimes have to get quite creative in finding a spot and way to fix them somewhere (as opposed to easier, traditional places with garden soil to just "plant" (stick) it in or fence posts to bind it to).
Hungary
thumb|May Pole in Hungary. When the girl sees this, she lights three matches to show that she likes it.
In Hungary the common term is Májusfa. They were danced around and usually decorated with a full bottle of wine, with hímestojás, flowers and ribbons. May Poles and similar decorated branches, collectively called Zöld ágak were believed to have magical properties. All of them were often put up as an ornament to bring good luck and protect against witches' spells, since it was generally believed by the Hungarians that they can be protected against with different types of weed and herbs.
The base was a tall tree stripped of its bark, with the foliage left only at the top (usually 12–15 meters), but it could also be a smaller tree or a large, flowering, greenish branch. They also tried to personalise the trees, decorating them with small gifts, combs, mirrors but also thorny branches and rags, reflecting negative qualities.
Often it was only in front of the priest and judge's house that a tall May Pole was erected, but every girl had to have at least one branch. Usually each suitor would put one in the girl's garden. Often they would carve it out and write the boy's name on it. The cutting and wood delivery had to be done in secret, under the cover of night, so that the lady in question would not suspect anything. When the family saw the boys, if the girl liked the suitor, they invited them in to dinner and proudly left the tree in the garden.
In the morning, they compared who got the longer May Pole, and tried to guess who gave it to them and often, which envious lover has plucked the tree. Unlike other May Poles, in Hungary it was the length of the tree that mattered, which would ultimately convince the girls to go out with the men. This was a common form of rural flirting, similar to the Hajnalfa.
The lovers were always assisted by a (often drunken) courting team of similar boys. If two boys liked the same girl, after one team had erected the maypole, the other would secretly take it away and dig his own in its place.
On the last Sunday of May májusfa-kitáncolás, when they tore the pole down, while dancing one last time. The máj-kerék was placed on it that day, a wagon wheel on the end of a high pole, decorated with ribbons, wine bottles and linen scarves. Its placement was a metaphor for the fulfilment of a love affair. If the kitáncolás did not happen that meant, the boy has abandoned his courtship. The ornaments of the wheel were raced to be taken down by the men climbing up the pole. Often, however, they would play tricks on each other by putting water with paprika in a bottle on top of the tree instead of wine. The winner was declared the King of Pentecost, the Judge Stag or the First Stag. During the demolition, young people dressed merely in green branches collected a "ransom", all around the village.
In addition to the love May Poles, there were also community May Poles in front of churches and pubs, around which they had fun until the evening.
Italy
right|thumb|A traditional 'red' maypole in [[Ascoli Piceno, Italy]]
Maypole traditions can be found in some parts of Italy, such as in Veneto, Friuli, Umbria, and Marche. In the last of these regions, the tradition dates back to the Napoleonic campaigns, when the (Liberty tree), the symbol of the French Revolution, arrived in Italy. Liberty trees were erected in the southern part of the region in Ripatransone and Ascoli Piceno. In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, met in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle. A proposal by Raymond Lavigne called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. After the institution of the International Workers' Day the maypole rite in the southern part of the March became a socialist ritual. At the top of the tree (poplar) appeared the red flag. In the second half of the 20th century, the rite of the maypole around Ascoli remained a rite of celebration of spring but it became also a political symbol of the peasant movement () that struggled against the landowners to have decent living conditions. Every year, even today, on the night of 30 April, in many villages of the zone like Appignano del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno, Castorano, Castignano, Castel di Lama, Colli del Tronto, Grottammare, Monsampolo del Tronto, Porchia (Montalto Marche), Monteprandone, Offida, Rotella, Spinetoli, San Benedetto del Tronto, citizens cut a poplar on which they put-up a red flag and the tree is erected in village squares or at crossroads.