Magic of Mays gone by

FORGET MAYPOLES.. DAY CELEBRATED WITH SNAKES AND WITCHES

- MEG JORSH

ARE you ready for the second spookiest night of the year?

You might think of May Day as a time for village fetes and morris dancing - but according to legend, there's magic in the air.

Since the Iron Age, we've marked the occasion with rituals to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Here MEG JORSH reveals the stories behind some familiar traditions...

SOME May Day traditions are thought to have been inspired by the Roman festival of Floralia.

Held to honour Flora, the goddess of flowers and spring, it turned into a debauched celebration of fertility.

The Ludi Florae, or Floralia Games, were held from April 27 to May 3 and featured cheeky plays and circus acts.

Goats and hares were released into the Circus Maximus and the crowd was pelted with chickpeas, all thought to be symbols of lust and pregnancy.

Sex workers were said to see the festival as their own, often acting naked on stage and even fighting in the arena. In 55BC, Senator Cato the Younger is said to have walked out of one such performance in shock.

Worshippers of Flora are thought to have given us the maypole by dancing around decorated trees.

IN northern Europe and Scandinavia, the night before May Day sees most of the action.