gooseberryhigh | MAY DAY FESTIVAL

MAY DAY FESTIVAL

The festival is taking place in the gardens, of course, where several large maypoles have been erected. The ribbons are in the four house colors, and the nearby tables and chairs are decorated heavily with flowers and coloured streamers.

The celebration doesn't start until the May Queen, Adeline Foster-Hayes, is lead in on a horse. She's wearing a long, lacy white dress and has a large crown of flowers on her head. Her two attendants are Ursula de Luca and Avery Davenport, who are also dressed in white and are leading in the horse. Addy sits on a throne covered in leaves and flowers, and is asked to make a speech about the new year.

Afterwards, it's the first dance! Traditionally, the May Queen picks a May King, but Gooseberry's not very traditional, so Addy may pick whomever she likes for the first dance. After that, everyone joins in on the festivities! The Holy Rosicrucians play the first few numbers, but after that they're freed to enjoy the celebration as well, and are replaced by enchanted instruments who play upbeat folk dance music.

Event Committee has spotted another opportunity to make some money off flowers. For one dragot, you can consult them and Mr. Hightower and receive a single flower with a hidden meaning. You can then give that symbolic flower to whomever you want!

HOW THIS WORKS

Adeline Foster-Hayes is the May Queen, and last year it was Tabitha Ogletree.

Earlier in the day, some students may choose to hang May Baskets off the cabins of their boyfriends, girlfriends or crushes.

Event Committee is running another fundraiser. For one dragot, they'll help your character pick a flower off this list that holds a symbolic meaning. You can then give that flower to someone. There are freshmen available to anonymously deliver flowers if you're feeling shy.

There are three Maypoles, and students volunteered to be part of the dance in earlier weeks to learn the steps. Luckily, they're very simple. Everyone participating in the dances wears white (a dress or slacks and a shirt) with a sash in a color/pattern of their choice. Many students opt to wear their house color.

There's food, music and dancing that will last until sunset. At the end of the night, all Heads of House will walk their students back home and do another quick head count.

» MAY BASKETS: A wider tradition popular with North American wizards is to hang baskets of flowers off the doorknobs or windows of their boyfriends, girlfriends or crushes. As baskets aren't exactly all over the place at Gooseberry, students often substitute with plastic bags full of flowers, or solo cups full of flowers hung with string. If your character hung a basket off someone's doorknob or outside their window, post here saying so.

» QUEEN ADDY: Addy is walked into the festival on the back of one of the school's horses. Once she's settled in on her leafy throne, she makes a speech, and selects someone to be her partner for the first dance of spring!

» MAYPOLE DANCE: Last month, students were asked to sign up for the Maypole dance. They were then taught how to perform this relatively simple dance, and told they needed to wear white with a colored sash around their waist. If your character signed up, please post here!

Name:
Sash Color/Pattern:
Anything else: How they danced, if they're into it, etc.

Name: Sash Color/Pattern: Anything else: How they danced, if they're into it, etc.

» MAKING FLOWER CROWNS: There's a generous station set aside for building flower crowns. If you can dream it, you can do it, through the power of magic and self-indulgent fantasy. Typically the flower crowns for girls have long ribbons streaming from behind them. Comment here if your character made a flower crown, and what it looks like.

» FLOWER SYMBOLISM WITH MR. HIGHTOWER: Is there something you want to say to someone that you can't find the words for? Maybe Mr. Hightower and Event Committee the answer. If your character would like to give someone a flower based on its meaning, post it here with this form!

Name:
Recipient:
Flower & Meaning: Choose from here.
Did they recruit a freshman to send it anonymously?:

Name: Recipient: Flower & Meaning: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_symbolism">Choose from here.</a> Did they recruit a freshman to send it anonymously?:

» NEXT YEAR'S MAY QUEEN: Each girl in the game gets one vote for who will be next year's May Queen! Please reply here with who your girl is voting for. If there's a tie, we'll RNG it. This will carry over into year two!

» OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Name: Ennis
Recipient: Newt
Flower & Meaning: A small cluster of yellow poppies (wealth) Ennis has strung together and garnished with a sprig of baby's breath (innocence) to form a boutonniere.
Did they recruit a freshman to send it anonymously?: He'll give it to Kurt directly, or pin it on Newt if he's attending and wearing a little outfit.

MAY DAY FESTIVAL

Ennis ⟶ Newt Wolfhart