Maypole dance

Young women in white dresses dancing and weaving ribbons around the maypole. Thought to be in Burlington, Washington. According to Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 (v. 7; p. 977) the maypole dance is a "ceremonial folk dance performed around a tall pole garlanded with greenery or flowers and often hung with ribbons that are woven into complex patterns by the dancers." Usually performed in Europe on May 1st or midsummer in Scandinavia and is associated with Spring and fertility. A more acrobatic dancing tradition from Central America is also performed called Palo Volador, in which costumed men swing by ropes from an 18-m-high (60-ft-high) maypole. For more information try : Henderson, Helene. Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary:..... Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2005., p. 331. Macmillan Library Reference USA. Festivals and Holidays. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1999, p. 232. "Guatemalans." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Americas. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 250-255. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.