May Day

Saturday was May first and a national holiday in Germany for May day celebrations. Every year the May poles or "Maibaum" are inspected for their ability to safely continue to stand for another year since they are the trunk of a very tall evergreen tree. If the inspector deems the pole weakened or cracking, there is a major celebration to erect a new maibaum.
In the olden days the men of the village would use long poles to stand up the may pole. Here's a picture off the internet. Today they use a huge crane to hoist it up and then they bolt it into place. The pole is a sign of civic pride for the village. It was originally posted so visitors could see the types of craftsmen available in the village. The symbols rising from the base still show butchers, masons, etc.


We went to Pullach which is just south of Munich to see them raise their new maibaum with our friends. We learned that there is a strong tradition of neighboring villages trying to steal the pole the night before it is put in place (May 1st). This is simply incredible because the pole is extremely tall and sits in the middle of the village for a week before the ceremony. The village elders even arrange for security to sit with the pole 24 hours a day to prevent the prank.

In the event of a theft, the village is required to provide the rival village with barrels of beer to secure a safe return. Pullach had their pole stolen this year. The story being told was that they even had to call the police to secure a safe trip back. (...but they didn't have the police on the way out of Pullach...) When I asked how they could steal it, my friend said, "...they probably used some girls to distract the guards." Diabolical and unstoppable.

It was an occasion for Daphne, Julia and I to put on our traditional Bavarian clothes and enjoy the festival. After the pole is secure, they decorate the top with a wreath and traditional blue & white banner of Bavaria.

Pullach sit on a hill along the Isar river where we stopped and took some pictures. We then walked to the beer garden for lunch.

You beer purists may be surprised to learn that Radler is actually quite good in the middle of the day. A mix of half fizzy lemonade and half beer allows you to drink a mass (liter) without getting drunk at noon. Especially good with dunkel (dark) beer.


Here's Brian's photographic effort.