May Day, Animal Action

May Day - Today is May Day. May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures.

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations—as with May Day—or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays, as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and All Saint's Day.

The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned or Christianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May.

Animal Action - Enjoy these adorable animals!

Heat of the Moment, Abracadabra, -and- Crash!

Heat of the Moment - ocean currents to blame for warming
Abracadabra - magicians sue over revealed secrets
Crash! - family staged 23 accidents to collect insurance

On this day in history: May 1, 1942 - The 215th and final hanging occurs at California's San Quentin maximum security prison. Subsequent executions utilize the facility's gas chamber, and, ultimately, inmate's choice of that or lethal injection.

Born on this day in history: May 1, 1939 - Judy Collins (1939 - ____) folksinger, film maker. She was a 1960s coffee house singer who hit it big with "Both Sides Now;" 29 albums including "Wildflowers," 1967 and "Living," 1971.

Today's Video: Tom Cruise Mastercard Ad

VIDEOS: The videos are now available via the link "Amazing and Amusing Videos" in the Links section, below the visitor counter.

Happy May Day! May Day in the United States is commonly regarded as a commemoration of the execution of the Haymarket martyrs, who were arrested after the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, which occurred on May 4, but was the culmination of labor unrest which began on May 1. In this form, May Day has become an international celebration of the social and economic achievements of the working class and labor movement.

Now, get to work!