Decorating the May Bush

Not so long ago, in some parts of Newfoundland, you might’ve spotted a curious sight at the start of May: a spruce or fir tree, stripped of its lower branches and dressed up in colourful ribbons, standing prominent, near someone’s fence or garden gate.

It wasn’t a hold over from December — it was the part of a custom, far older than Christmas trees; a tradition brought to the island by European settlers.

It was known as the May Bush.

What is a May Bush?

May 1st, or May Day, was a big deal in early Europe. It marked the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, and folks celebrated the coming of summer with processions, bonfires, and dancing around a maypole, ribbons flying in the breeze. In Ireland, they marked the day with bushes decorated with colourful ribbons.

Over time, those old seasonal celebrations began to blend with Christianity. By the 1700s, the Catholic Church had declared May the month of the Virgin Mary. And so, the May Bush took on a new meaning: a way to honour her. Blue ribbons became the decorations — blue being the colour most closely associated with Mary.

In Newfoundland, especially in communities on the Avalon Peninsula with deep Irish roots, the tradition lived on. Each year, an evergreen tree would be chosen, decorated, and displayed through the month of May.

It was more than a decoration, though.

The May Bush was believed to offer protection—a blessing for the home, and good luck for the season’s crops.

Legacy

These days, the May Bush tradition has mostly faded, and decorated evergreens are now firmly tied to Christmas in Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, the province’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Traditions at Risk Report (2018) listed the May Bush as a custom at risk of disappearing altogether.

Some people still remember decorating the trees as children, and every so often you might still spot one, ribbons fluttering in the spring breeze.

If you’d like to see the tradition come to life, there’s a lovely video by Michael Fortune of Folklore.ie, featuring Sadie Nash from Point Lance, who shares her memories of the May Bush and what it meant to her community.

• Sources & Further Reading

  1. Traditions at Risk Report, Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2018

  2. Irish settlements in eastern Canada, J. Mannion, 1974

  3. The May Bush in Newfoundland, HeritageNL

  4. Point Lance: A Newfoundland Outport, Mannion Collection

  5. May Day, Wikipedia.org