The Lumberjack student newspaper

April showers bring May flowers

CCAT celebrated May Day
Translate

Upbeat music filled the air on campus. May Day, the springtime celebration of fertility and joy, was in full swing at CCAT. Smiling faces crowned in flower wreaths welcomed visitors to the house. Anticipation was building.

The front lawn of the Campus Center for Appropriate Technologies was covered in yellow hay. The sun shone over people gathered there, warming hearts and heads. Funky music rolled across the yard, digging deep into people’s souls. There was a pep in everybody’s step as they danced around the yard. May Day is a celebration of rebirth and revitalization. Students and families crowded around tables to weave themselves flower crowns, dressing themselves in natural beauty.

Sean Armstrong introduced May Day with passion. He stood above the crowd with his corn blond hair blowing in the wind as he wove an image of May Day. Armstrong said humans have been celebrating May Day for five thousand years. May Day is a celebration of fertility and rebirth, of sexuality and community. May Day marks the beginning of spring and traditionally pays homage to Eostre, the pagan goddess of spring. May Day is ultimately a celebration of one and all.

“Spring is a non-optional time of renewal,” Armstrong said. “Today is a moment of optimism. This place is about regeneration and optimism. We have a ‘world gets better perspective’ and we trust in a future of growth.”

CCAT offered a whole bouquet of May Day themed activities. Piles of flower clippings were set out on tables so people could make themselves a wreath of flowers to wear. The wreaths were crowns accentuating natural beauty. Bright blues, fiery reds and striking yellows were set in rings of ivy and grass. Abigail Lowell shared why flowers were celebrated on May Day.

“A flower is beauty,” Lowell said. “Flowers are one of humans definitions of beauty. Humans have always considered flowers to be the foundation of beauty.”

Lowell wore a light blue dress to match her light blue eyes at the May Day festival. The weather was kind enough to copy Lowell and grace the celebration with a bright blue sky to boot. Girls danced and twirled in flowery dresses to the funky music. After a while a hush fell over the crowd, the music slowed down when Armstrong took the stage to introduce the May Pole.

The May Pole is a symbol of the potency of the god. For lack of a better term it is a phallic birch pole set straight into the ground. Attached to the top of the pole green, red, yellow, blue and orange ribbons streamed down into the hands of excited people around the base.

“I met my wife at a May Day celebration right here on CCAT’s lawn,” Armstrong said. “The whole day build up to this great release. You know, there’s flirting, there’s drinking, there’s feasting. We can pay attention to the spring season and celebrate it.”

The music kicked up again. Half of the dancers began to skip around the pole. Every other person walked towards the center of the pole and danced in the other direction. The inner circle and the outer circle wove in and out between one another. At the climax of the dance the May Pole was wrapped in an intricate lattice of color. As the weave tightened around the pole, flowers were tucked into the ribbons. What resulted was a rainbow braid adorned with bright flowers and surrounded by smiling faces.

If only the sensation of May Day could be pressed and preserved forever. Alas, just as the celebration recognizes change the day’s sky began to change as the sun set. Sebastian Forward, CCAT’s organic gardener and future botanist, did his best to save the day. He was teaching CCAT’s visitors how to press plants and flowers.

“Pressing plants gives you something tangible when photos and drawings just won’t cut it,” Forward said. “We can preserve plants for over 100 years. Pressed plants show us what the plant was like the day it was pressed. We can still see what the little hairs look like under the microscope.”

May Day celebrated the transition of winter to spring. As plants bloom they herald fruits to come. Chirping birds and buzzing bees sat on branches while they watched humans dance around a field of hay celebrating life and joy. Celebrate this time of year with happiness and love. Show compassion to those around you. Stop and smell the roses, spring has come.

“It was heartfelt,” Lowell said. “Everybody was talking to one another. There were no inhibitions. The bright colors livened everybody up. We felt community. I liked it.”

Share This Post

More Stories

Nina G uses comedy to start conversations

During the virtual comedy event held by the SDRC, Nina Ghiselli tells her story and emphasizes the importance of student disability resources within schools.

It’s not just the Capitol Police

As the world watched from their televisions on January 6, we witnessed scenes unfold before our eyes that were, to many, unimaginable: supporters of President Trump swarmed the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, then proceeded to break in and

The San Jose State University Football Team Comes to Humboldt

On a day’s notice from administration, the SJSU football team spends a week and a half in Humboldt practicing because their county did not allow it. Students react to their presence on campus in the midst of a pandemic. Directed

Homelessness in Humboldt, CA

This is the first trailer of a homeless documentary created by HSU students. We have spent months filming and will continue to film throughout the next year. Follow the heartbreaking stories of the homeless community around Humboldt county and the

Thrifty Arcata

Taking a tour of the local thrift shops in Arcata during the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed and produced by Skylar Gaven.

House Plants Generate Peace and Meaning During the Pandemic

Three different people with the same love for plants! House plants have become quite popular these days especially since we’re all basically stuck inside during the pandemic. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but these beautiful green oxygen-makers provide more

Prop 22 represents political favoritism of money over workers’ rights

California’s passing of proposition 22 on Nov. 5 represents a frustrating history of workers’ rights being trampled by the overwhelming influence of greed in politics.  This proposition forces app-based workers to be classified as independent contractors, rather than employees. This

Remembering Evelyn Andrews 10 months after her passing

By Katelyn Dendas It has been 10 months since my friend, teammate and freshman year dorm mate, Evelyn Andrews, passed away. I don’t remember what the grief counselor said or what transpired after that Monday, but I do remember arriving

Protestors seek to defund HSUPD

Two local, activist organizations work together to stage a sit-in against Humboldt State’s police department.

Getting stuck on the Trump train

Writer Anthony Aragon details his experience of accidentally joining a pro-Trump car rally.

Justin Turner exposes the World Series to COVID-19

Justin Turner didn’t need to be the story in the wake of the Dodgers’ first World Series victory in 32 years. Instead here we are, wondering what sort of, if any, punishment Major League Baseball will decide to hand down

Four more years of fear

News Editor Carlos Holguin explains why he is worried about the next four years.

Dismal democracy

The Lumberjack editorial staff comments on America’s flawed electoral system As the world watches the United States 2020 election results, waiting for our pseudodemocratic process to churn out a new president, historically unprecedented voting methods misrepresents the reported Election Day

The Mario triple pack invokes a nostalgia attack

When I was a child, the first video game system I owned was a Nintendo 64. Among the games I played was Super Mario 64. I played it all the time and when I wasn’t playing it, I was lying

Women’s lacrosse drops their competitive season

Greta Roberts, president and player of Humboldt State University’s women’s lacrosse team, made the decision with her coach and teammates to cancel the upcoming spring season. The team decided that not being able to recruit in the fall would be

Dobby’s proposition opinions

Haven’t voted yet? Well, you’re running out of time. Here’s a quick rundown of California’s propositions on the ballot this year

Corporations buy out propositions

In a series of general and misleading advertisements, corporate backers of Propositions 22 and 23 show their grubby hands

CDOR continues virtually

The Campus and Community Dialogue On Race returns covering global justice for Black Lives.

Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Local food management practices of the Tolowa Dee-ni, Yurok and other indigenous peoples.

Humboldt State Admin attempts to discredit the Lumberjack

***A Lumberjack editorial represents both the majority opinion of the student newspaper’s editorial board, nine editors, as well as the overwhelming majority of Humboldt State University’s student body. Collectively, an editorial echos, embodies and advocates for community beliefs.*** Insensitive communications

Music of the Moment 6

21 Savage and Metro Boomin drop a classic with “Savage Mode II”

Spartans arrive at HSU despite campus concerns

***Editor’s note: SJSU football program was tested in congruence with Mountain West conference guidelines*** The Spartans have arrived and this time they’re not carrying spears or shields. Instead the San Jose State football team stepped onto the Humboldt State campus

Music of the Moment 5

After shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez cancels himself

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

Comparisons between episodes of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone and our own dismal reality

Music of the Moment 4

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dodges the sophomore slump with his new album “Top.”

Self-Care Cuts

Changing your hair to change your life

HSU Seaweed Farm sets sail

The first commercially-approved seaweed farm in California will be on the map.

Music of the Moment 3

For better or worse, Big Sean is likely gone for good.

More Layers, More Protection?

Humboldt State demands double masking on campus, does more layers equal more protection?

The Ethnic Studies Bill is a Blessing

Ethnic Studies will thankfully become mandatory for all California State University students – as it should be.

The Complex Interface of Humans and Wildfires

How fire suppression is a mixed bag in Humboldt County Every fire season, blankets of smoke roll over Humboldt County. Here on the coast, that’s as close to wildfires as some of us get. But our practice of fire suppression

Defund HSU’s Police Department

Incidents of racism from the former UPD Chief, past examples of excessive force from current officers and a shrinking university budget.

How Not To Be Bitten By A Kitten

Please prepare to be prey Congratulations, a baby feline has recently come into your life. If they’re anywhere from 2-18 months, they bite. They see you as prey. Because you are prey. You always have been. You always will be.

Graduating Into Uncharted Waters

HSU graduates attempt to navigate a world turned upside-down by COVID-19 In May, Humboldt State University graduated hundreds of students, as it does every year. Unlike past years, graduates didn’t get to shake hands with their respective dean and receive

HSU Cultural Center Budget Slashed

Associated Students leaves student body devastated after significant reductions in cultural center’s budget.

All aboard the plague ship

Unprecedented times are met with normalized behavior, HSU puts students and community members at higher risk after reopening campus and student housing.

Music of the Moment

The hip-hop community rallies behind the Black Lives Matter Movement

Inside the Immune System

How the body uses multiple levels of defense against foreign intruders

Catcalling Can’t Continue

Verbal harassment toward women is about control and the assertion of gender discrimination