💐 May Day is Saturday May 1, 2021! 💐

Celebrate May Day by spreading some love to your neighbors! The Sheboygan County Historical Museum invites you to make a May Day Basket (or 2, or 3, or more!) and leave them on your neighbors’ doorsteps! Last year we brought back this old tradition for the first time as a way to encourage and surprise our neighbors during the shutdowns. Let’s keep this tradition alive and growing this year! We challenge you to spread May Day Baskets all over Sheboygan County!

This is a non-contact activity to do on Saturday, May 1st – Place your basket at the door or hang it on the doorknob, knock or ring the doorbell and leave your surprise for them to find!

Let’s Get Crafty!

The Sheboygan County Historical Museum will be providing free take home kits to make a May Basket, beginning Monday, April 19 during hours of operation. Kits will also be available at the Mead Public Library on the 3rd Floor (Children’s Library). Supplies are limited. First come, first served. Join Chloe the Craft Elf (Surprise! She’s back!) as she shows you how to put together your basket using the kit provided, and teaches you the history behind May Day celebrations in the tutorial video below.  

May Day Basket Kit

Stop by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center to get creative making a May Day Basket in their Social, and join Cate Tinker from Bookworm Gardens during Tinker Tuesday (April 27, 11 AM via Facebook Live) as she uses local flowers + natural materials to create a unique, bloom-filled May Day Basket!

Didn’t get a kit, or you want to make a May Basket out of supplies you have around the house? You can make a basket out of anything such as construction paper rolled into a cone or weaved together, paper/plastic cups or bowls, recycled tin cans, and string or ribbon. Of if you have an actual basket you’d like to use, even better! Fill your baskets with flowers (fresh, fake, or DIY), a card or note of encouragement, candy, or even baked goods! A perfect project for all ages. Looking for inspiration and other ways to make a May Day Basket? Check out this YouTube tutorial from SCHM Program Coordinator Chloe that she created in 2020 from home! Visit the discussion page in our Facebook event to see more examples of May Day Baskets you can easily create.

Use our “Happy May Day!” tag that you can print off to attach to your basket. Access Here –> 2021 May Day Tags_Multiple

Thank you to our partner organizations for making this possible!

• Above and Beyond Children’s Museum
• Bookworm Gardens
• John Michael Kohler Arts Center
• Mead Public Library
• Plymouth Public Library

Be sure to post a picture of your basket and tag us so we can see your lovely creation! And use our hashtag #MuseumMayDay

May Day, a celebration of the return of spring, has a long history going back to ancient Roman times. As the Roman Empire spread through Europe, so did the festival. Traditions grew and changed becoming popular in countries such as Germany, Italy, England and Ireland. Beginning in the 19th century, May Baskets became a popular tradition to share with neighbors and loved ones on May Day as part of the celebration of spring.

2020 May Day Basket Participants