In Oxford there is a tradition on May 1st. It's referred to as May Morning and I had to check it out. However, since it involves getting out of bed at 5 a.m., I couldn't convince Brian to join me. With the promise to treat myself to a large vanilla latte, I dragged myself out of bed at 5 and rode my bike down to the city centre to see what May Morning was all about.
At 6 a.m., the Magdalen Boys School Choir, climbs to the top of the Magdalen College Bell Tower and sing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, a tradition of over 500 years, to greet the dawn. Crowds of people (students, tourists, locals, etc) gather underneath the tower to hear them sing. The crowd is mostly students though, with many of them still in formal wear from attending college balls the night before. This also means that they are still pretty drunk and ranbunctious, which makes for an interesting sight at 6 a.m. After the choir sings (which only lasts for about 10 minutes) then there is general revelry and festivities in the city for a few more hours. Many restaurants and pubs open at 6, so you can either go get a full English Breakfast (which includes eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried bread/toast and blood sausage - yikes!) and/or start drinking some pints!
I watched the choir sing from the tower, found a large latte and pastry from an open cafe, and then watched some of the Morris dancing in the streets before I headed back home by 7:30. I have to admit, it was fun to check it out, but now I can cross it off my Oxford To Do list, and won't have to get up early next year!
In Oxford there is a tradition on May 1st. It's referred to as May Morning and I had to check it out. However, since it involves getting out of bed at 5 a.m., I couldn't convince Brian to join me. With the promise to treat myself to a large vanilla latte, I dragged myself out of bed at 5 and rode my bike down to the city centre to see what May Morning was all about. 
At 6 a.m., the Magdalen Boys School Choir, climbs to the top of the Magdalen College Bell Tower and sing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, a tradition of over 500 years, to greet the dawn. Crowds of people (students, tourists, locals, etc) gather underneath the tower to hear them sing. The crowd is mostly students though, with many of them still in formal wear from attending college balls the night before. This also means that they are still pretty drunk and ranbunctious, which makes for an interesting sight at 6 a.m. After the choir sings (which only lasts for about 10 minutes) then there is general revelry and festivities in the city for a few more hours. Many restaurants and pubs open at 6, so you can either go get a full English Breakfast (which includes eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried bread/toast and blood sausage - yikes!) and/or start drinking some pints!
I watched the choir sing from the tower, found a large latte and pastry from an open cafe, and then watched some of the Morris dancing in the streets before I headed back home by 7:30. I have to admit, it was fun to check it out, but now I can cross it off my Oxford To Do list, and won't have to get up early next year!
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