Hounds May Day Celebration

May Day, May 1, 6:00 a.m., Thornden Park Watertower Hill. A Syracuse Tradition Since 1981

Every year since 1985, the Bassett Street Hounds have joined Thornden Morris and other local morris teams in presenting a May Day dawn celebration atop Watertower Hill in Thornden Park. [Directions]

Although we never be sure of the details of what will happen, there are certain things you can count on:

We will dance up the sun. Festivities start at dawn, which on May 1 is 6:00 a.m. Our audience has shown up, often without any advance warning or publicity, in large numbers. From 100-200 people show up every year in all kinds of weather. Amazing!
There will be a processional dance performed by all of the morris dancers to start things off. A grand entrance.
The morris dancers will dance! Over and over. For an hour. We expect four ritual dance teams to perform (Ribbonsteel Rapper and Heartwood Morris in addition to Thornden and the Hounds) so that means two or three dances per team.
We will perform the Mumming Play in which the themes of life and death, winter and renewal will be celebrated. Much hilarity for all.
Urchins will go among you begging money for beer. In return, we will give you the morris cake and branches of May with promises/threats of fertility and/or good luck. It's hooey but we can't seem to stop ourselves.
We will sing a May song or two; very likely the Furry Day Carol.
We end things up leading the audience in the Maypole dance. We use the Playford tune known as Sellenger's Round for the dance.

All this and you still have time to go to work. Our advice, however, is to take the day off and enjoy the first real day of Spring. That's what we're doing. Later in the morning, we will be performing at other locations. In the evening, expect us downtown in Armory Square for some impromptu dancing.

See photos from past May Day celebrations. [2003] [2002] [2001] [2000] [1999] [1995]

You might also want to read our tribute to Roy Judge, a morris scholar and dancer, who's research into May customs sparked its resurgence in the 1970s. He died in November, 2000.