May Day (mayday)

It’s May 1. Beltane. May Day. The first day of (my) Mercedonius.

If you don’t know, Mercedonius, historically, is a intercalary month used by the pre-Julian calendar Romans to adjust their lunar calendar to solar seasons. It’s a pretend month starting at the end of February (Leap Day is its vestige) and ending with the first of March which, in ancient times, was the start of the new year. (I have written a number of pieces on the history of Mercedonius. Please click here for some background.)

I have been calling my own Mercedonius for four years now—staring May 1 until my birthday on the 26th, I create my own month, a time out of time, to explore and write about where I am mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, in order to plan for and adjust to where I will soon be chronologically.

For my month of Mercedonius, I catch my season up to my year.

And each year I start with May Day.

A few years ago, I discovered that calling “mayday” is not a cry of distress unless you say it three times. In 2024, I am calling it out only twice. Does that mean I don’t need help? No, I can always use a bit of help. It just means that I don’t feel help-less. I might even feel help-ful.

And I know a month of exploring this space will certainly help.