Rain On My Parade

May Day Parade

I stand still, at the corner of the sidewalk, watching the beginning of the May Day parade pass me by. The day was absolutely gorgeous. The sky threatened rain, which I'm sure worries the parade organizers. Paper mache, ribbons and face paint don't hold up well in rain. I watch passively as the parade slowly rolls its way down the main street of downtown Yoldstoum. A little town, but man do they put on some elaborate celerbations. Over half of the people watching it today are tourists. They come in Spring and Summer, some stay for the early snowfalls. But they have to leave before winter really sets in, or else they will be stuck in our little mountain town till the snow melts. It becomes blissful isolation in winter.

I wait for the land float to come into view. It is larger than all the others, and takes up the entire road space. Policemen usher people away from the edges of the road as it passes. I can see a few young women boarding the float as it passes. Young women, flower crowns atop their head, cream colored traditional dresses ornate with embroidered flowers along the hem. As the people begin to push back into the store front windows, making room for the float, I step forward, waiting to catch my ride. The float drags on, and I catch a rail and jump on, joining my cream clad sisters. As more and more of us board the flower laden float, some tourists become brave and try to board the float too. We let them. It is a game for them, and one is always to let a child have their innocent fun. 

At the end of main street we reach a circular field. It serves as the center of downtown Yoldstoum. In summer and spring it is filled with children and families on picnics. But not today. As the float come to a halt at the edge of the field, we form a line and make our way off. We form a circle in the middle of the field around our May Day pole. Most of the tourists have departed by now, though a few still stay behind. They are soon asked to leave by the men driving our float. We each step forward and grab a brightly colored ribbon in front of us. I turn to look at the girls on either side of me. A young girl of 13 looks at me with an excited smile. I return it with a wink. The dance begins.

We skip and step from side to side, circling each other and forming a dance that we've been practicing since we were all little girls. I know that each of us looks perfect, our dresses, our hair, our brimming smiles. Each of us has been looking forward to this for months. The ribbons we carry shorten as we dance, wrapping around the pole in a beautiful array of woven color. I see the girls around me smiling. It is a cloudy day. The sky threatens rain. If the drops started to fall we would welcome it, knowing that the sky would be crying for joy. 

As we reach the end of our ribbons we gather together at the base of the pole, tucking them into one another so that they'll last and stay put, hopefully till next May. By then they will have faded. The last ribbon is tucked away and we all step back, returning to our original circle. For a few moments that seem to last years we all stand still, with no smile on our faces, though our eyes sparkle with excitement. We stand still for moments. The music begins. We begin the dance. This dance is not to weave together ribbons, but dance to know ourselves. How long can we stand to fight this battle. We dance, the same dance as before. This time though we have to adapt, and learn. As girls tire they bow out and join the spectators, silently cheering us on. One by one girls old and young drop out. The 13 year old next to me is strong, she lasts until there is only three of us left. I can see she is ready to bow out, and I give her wink. She smiles and leaves. It will be her turn one day. There is only one other girl and I. Her name is Anna, she is tall and thin. Now that there is only two of us, the fight will be long. I remember once when I was a child, their were two women who danced well into the night until one collapsed from exhaustion. You only win this way if neither of you is willing to let the other have victory. 

As Anna and I twirl and spin, we face each other for a spilt second, Anna mouths "good job" and bows out. I continue to dance until she has sat down with the other girls and I stop. The crowd of tourists clap, but quickly stop once they notice no one from Yoldstoum is. Mama Eva comes over, dressed in a dark blue dress, embroidered with white vines and flowers along the sleeves and hem. She smiles at me and together we go to the May pole. We kneel on the grass there, and she whispers to me, telling me how well I did. Together we say a blessing for the town and it's people. We stand and turn back to the crowd. She clasps her hands together and loudly proclaims "I present to you the May Queen!" The crowd claps again for a moment before those from Yoldstoum begin a song. Anna and the other girl who danced almost until the end approach me, holding a shawl and a crown ornate with flowers. They take off the flower crown I had on, and replaced it with the new one, made delicately from wood, meant to last a lifetime. They place the shawl around my shoulders and smile at me. Together we all begin walking toward the church a few blocks away, where we will celebrate with food and drink. I wave at a few people as we pass them. Out of the corner of my eye I catch something. Turning to it I see a young man, and as I look at him, he gives me a slight wave and nervous smile. I wave back, then turn my attention again to those in front of me. "Who was that?" I wonder. Perhaps I will never know. I turn back to look and he has gone.