Happy May Day!

[luzula]

I ended up at the very front of the march with the main red-and-black union flag. Someone was like, heeey, someone needs to carry the flag, you want to do this year? And I said, yeah, I guess...so I did. The catch is that this is a long and heavy flag where you need to put on a harness-type thing to even carry it (and apparently it tends to poke guys in the crotch). And then you walk super-slowly at the front with the flag billowing in the wind--okay, I admit it, it was kind of fun.

And then after that I went tree climbing with a friend and got caught in the rain while fifteen meters up a tree. I got soaked and cold and then went home and had a hot shower. But all in all, a pretty good day.

Comments

[ride_4ever]

I am so under the influence of fic. I see you write the word "harness" and the phrase "poke guys in the crotch" and right away I'm thinking PROMPT.

[luzula]

*snort* No actual dirty thoughts were in my mind while I wrote that. But that's okay, other people will provide the dirty thoughts if mine are lacking. : P

[frayadjacent]

Yay billowy flag fun!

ETA: also, I think I remember this from your May Day post another year, but in the US red-and-black means anarcho-syndicalism (at least if it's two triangles). Is it more of a pan-unionism color scheme in Sweden? Or something else?

[luzula]

Well, I'm in an anarchosyndicalist union (the SAC which is sort of like the Swedish IWW or CNT). So yeah, the color scheme is the same here--most other unions just use red.

[frayadjacent]

Ah, I see! :D

[jesse_the_k]

And what were you singing? I assume there's a pastoral May Day tradition that preceded the celebrations born of the Haymarket Riots in Chicago, spreading prairie fire like across the planet in the 19th century.

[luzula]

Well, we just sang the Internationale? And yes, there's an older spring tradition which is celebrated on the 30th of April instead of the 1st of May. There are songs associated with it (which I can sing in harmony due to my time in a choir), but today it's mostly celebrated by people lighting big bonfires and getting drunk.

[jesse_the_k]

As long as they're not drinking IN the bonfire it's okay.

When we gathered around the piano at home, my mother sang the Internationale in English, I provided some Russian verses, and my father loudly brayed in German to no particular tune.

[spuffyduds]

That sounds like a glorious day.

[luzula]

It was a good day! : ) And today I've been out with bryophyte geeks and seen new species. Also good.

How are you doing? *tacklehugs*