May day
May-day
A load blast from a tin trumpet at midnight on the first of May is the beginning of the holiday. They continue through the night and at day break they proceed to the country with their "tintarrems". The strip a sycamore tree, called may trees, of all it’s branches and make whistles from them. They return home playing the whistles and devote the day to junketing and picnics.
In Penzance and other towns years ago, the people would sit up until twelve o’clock and then they would march round town playing violins and fifes summoning others to the Maying. After they all gathered they went in to the countryside and was welcomed by the farmers with rum and milk, or junket. They them gathered the "May", which included the young branches of trees in blossom or fresh with leaves. They also made "May-music" from the branches of the sycamore.
How to make a whistle.
Cut a small branch from a willow or sycamore tree using an angular cut which will be the mouth piece. On the mouth piece area cut a slit and make a notch through the bark and wood, this where the sound will come from.
Cut a circle through the bark of a small branch a few inches from the end.
Wet the bark and beat it until it loosens and you can slide the wood up and down in the bark while you blow on the mouth piece to make the sound.
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