“Material folklore takes a number of different forms, some of it more or less permanent, such as architectural structures or functional tools, and some of it ephemeral, such as food, body painting, or paper ornaments. Permanent or not, material culture ios tangible-- it can be touched, seen, eaten, or lived in” (Sims 2011).

 

The maypole is a central symbol important to May Day celebrations of this time and continues to be significant to this day. It is a tall pole, usually made of wood, that is erected as part of the May Day celebration. May Day dances commonly take place around the maypole (Mackley 2013).

 

The symbolism of the maypole is a subject of debate, and there is no definitive answer as to what it means. Some suggest that the maypole was an cho of the worship of Priapus, the Roman god of male potency. The maypole, a phallus, was seen to symbolically thirst into the womb of mother earth. However, the maypole could also refer to the axis mundi, which is a central point in the universe that linked together different levels or creation (Mackley 2013).