Promote May Day in Your Flower Shop

May Day is on May 1. May Day has its origins even before the birth of Christ. It is not a prominent holiday in America, but it could be encouraged if advertised correctly. Inspiring May Day would be another little fun holiday to promote and bring in extra sales. You and your shop could make it an annual event that you and your community can participate. Excellent exposure for your store!! Sponsor it as a time of celebration, the beginning of summer.

May Day is best celebrated with fresh spring and summer flowers. The tradition of the May basket is a unique way to let your friends and loved ones know you are thinking about them. The baskets can be any size, but generally are small.  Paint them bright, cheery colors, or leave natural. Offer a bunch of assorted flowers to your customers so they can place them in the basket. Miniature rose, baby’s breath, heather, daisies, miniature carnations, and alstoemeria would be excellent choices to make mixed bunches. It is said that the basket giver would leave the basket of flowers on someone’s doorstep, ring the doorbell, then run and hide so the receiver does not know who left the basket. The person receiving the basket would try and catch the giver. If they caught the giver, they would exchange a kiss.  

The flowers can be put in waterproof containers, and hung on the doorknob. Also take a canning jar, put in the flowers chosen from the florist, and tie it off with a piece of jute rope. Jute gives the arrangement a rustic feel. A simple arrangement of irises and lily of the valley offers long lasting fragrance and color. A vintage tin can could be used.  Punch two holes, one on each side of the can and run a wire through, pinching the ends so the wire does not come out. Add some acacia, heather, monte casino, and baby’s breath. Tie a gingham ribbon around the can. Hang somewhere or give it away!!

Baskets and unique containers are not the only designs you can promote for May Day. You could also surprise a friend of loved one with a halo of flowers with long, tiny satin ribbons flowing in the back. They would wear the halo on their head or drape it on a chair. Also, you could create a garland of flowers for a front porch rail. Leis would also be exciting. That could be worn at an outdoor barbecue or the May Day happenings, providing lots of enjoyment. Fun!!!

See, you can get very creative and playful and have a lot of fun promoting this age old holiday. These are great May Day ideas, or even every day gestures. Your customers will appreciate the creativity and the uniqueness. Place an ad in your local newspaper or create a radio spot for your May Day activities. Endorse it as a spry, relaxed chance to give flowers and make someone’s day. 

There is also the Maypole dance. Legend has it that at dawn English country dwellers would meander in the country gathering flowers and blooming branches. A maypole was erected, usually a tall birch pole, and decorated with lots of flowers. Ribbons would be strewn from the pole and used in the dance. Beautiful! Then the villagers danced and sang around the maypole. 

Promote a maypole dance on May 1^st. What a distinctive way to advertise your flower shop. Maybe involve an elementary school. It would be an awesome field trip for the kids, plus you are exposing the young ones to flowers and their enjoyable beauty and fun. Rejoice in the oncoming of May and the summer season. Besides, kids are May Day!!

The festival book: May-day pastime and the May-pole : dances, revels and musical games for the playground, school and college 

Celebrate the spring: Spring & May Day celebrations for schools & communities 

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