L’arbre de mai, un patrimoine immatériel à préserver
The Maypole – Intangible Heritage to Keep

Summary/Abstract: The topic I am going to enlarge upon is the Maypole, a thoroughly European symbol of continuity. Erecting a Maypole is a living tradition, associated with both sacred and profane rituals. My approach to the subject is transdisciplinary and discusses the various linguistic forms under which the festival is known in Europe, its place in European ethnological heritage and its symbolism. The motif of the Maypole appears quite often in literature. The pre-Christian origin of the feast is illustrated in Ovid’s Fasti. The Medieval epos preserved this pagan festival which can be traced in French poems and romances, but also in Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Several modern authors such as Anatole France or Marthe Bibesco used the motif of the Maypole and so did Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens in their songs. The motif was also illustrated in the works of many artists, and we only enumerate a few: Bosch, Pieter Brueghel the Older, Goya and Brancusi.

• Details
• Contents