May the 1st has arrived, and unlike our Northern Hemisphere comrades, we are facing the bleak onset of autumn. Mention May Day on the other side of the equator and thoughts immediately turn to spring celebrations, maypole dancing and the crowning of a May queen. These varied festivals date back many centuries to pre-Christian times, and have had chequered careers with pagan, Celtic and Germanic roots being converted to Christian celebrations, and then on occasion back again. The one binding theme is the onset of the Northern spring, and this has always been a cause for celebration.