My daughter and son-in-law brought me back a calendar from their honeymoon in Hawaii and I noticed this morning that today is Lei Day. So here's wishing everyone a good Lei Day.
Aloha

Don't be fey
It's the first of May
Don't be feckless
Don that flower necklace
Don't delay
The May lei day.

Yes, indeedy! And the Lei on display at Kapiolani Park are amazing! And the frangrance! it'll knock you for a loop.
It's a lovely custom. Some take it very seriously - I know I did - and have special lei made for that day. One year I had a jade tree leaf lei. You have to be carreful with jade tree as juice can stain clothes.
Some lei are ordered months in advance and then you just pray the flowers bloom in time!
By the by, there is no plural of lei.
One lei is a lei, and two lei and three lei and.....after three lei ... well, "you're a better man that I am Gunga Din!!!"

(courtesy of Faldage. Don't shoot the messenger)

Kalenda maya
ni fueills de faia
ni chans d'auzell
ni flors de glaia
non es qe-m plaia,
pros dona gaia,
tro q'un isnell
essagier aia
de vostre bell
cors, qi-m retraia
plazer novell
q'amors m'atraia
e jaia
e-m traia
vas vos
donna veraia,
e chaia
de plaia
l gelos,
anz qe-m n'estria

Ma bell'amia
per Dieu non sia
qe ja-l gelos
de mon dan ria,
qe car vendria
sa gelozia,
si aitals dos
amantz partia;
q'ieu ja joios
mais non seria
ni jois ses vos
pro no-m tenria
tal via faria
q'oms ja
mais no-m veiria;
cell dia morria,
donna pros, q'ie-us perdria

Con er perduda
ni m'er renduda
donna, s'enanz | non l'ai aguda?
Qe drutz ni druda
non es per cuda;
mas qant amantz en drut si muda,
l'onors es granz q'el n'es creguda;
e-l bels semblanz fai far tal bruda;
qe nuda
tenguda
no-us al, ni d'als vencuda;
volguda
cresuda
vos ai, | sel autr'ajuda.

Tart m'esjauzira,
pos ja.m partira,
Bells Cavalhiers, de vos ab ira,
q'aill.ors no-s vira
mos cors, ni-m tira
mos deziriers, q'als non dezira;
q'a lauzengiers sai q'abellira,
donna, q'estiers non lur garira:
tals vira,
sentira
mos danz, qi-lls vos grazira,
qe-us mira,
cossira
cuidanz, don cors sospira.


Tant gent comensa,
part totas gensa,
na Beatritz, e pren creissensa
vostra valensa;
per ma credensa,
de pretz garnitz
vostra tenesa
e de bels ditz
senes failhensa;
de faitz grazitz
tenetz semensa;
siensa,
sufrensa
avetz
e coneissensa;
valensa
ses tensa
vistetz
ab benvolensa.

Donna grazida,
qecs lauz'e crida
vostra valor
q'es abellida,
e qi-us oblida,
pauc li val vida,
per q'ie-us azor,
donn'euissernida;
qar per cençor
vos ai chauzida
e per meilhor,
de prez complida,
blandida,
servida
genses
q'Erecs Enida.
Bastida,
finida,
n'Engles,
ai l'estampida.


anonymous

The May lei day.

We gone have a fight?

Kalenda maya

This song is often done as though it were some happy celebration of Spring, but, as even a cursory examination of the lyrics shows, it is really a very sad and bitter song.

Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 10:14:45 -0500 (CDT)
To: wwftd minions
From: wwftd master

the worthless word for the day is: Beltane

the Celtic May Day festival, marked by the lighting of bonfires
and the performance of various rites of purification

http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMCelticFestivals.html

()

For those who don't subscribe to tsuwm's WWFTD:

the worthless word for the day is: Beltane

the Celtic May Day festival, marked by the lighting of bonfires and the performance of various rites of purification

post-edit oops (8 seconds...)

And if, today, you present a garland of flowers to a wife or girlfriend named Mae
you could lei Mae on May Day!
TEd, come out, come out wherever you are!

The Only WO'N!

Beltane marks the "birth of summer" and -- the birth of all spirits.. (and six months from now, the death of summer, a day that marks when the souls of all the dead depart the earth--the evening before they depart, the are restless, and looking for a place to hide and stay.. it is a night when all the spirits walk the earth. (ie, halloween!)

many of the mayday celebrations are fertility related.. fertile soil, and fruit trees (my apple trees are in blossum now) and other fruits. and late night celebrations in the cool night air, watching a bon fire might have lead to snuggling close, and a different sort of lei day!

lei Mae on May Day!
TEd, come out, come out wherever you are!

What do we need TEd for?

What was that old saying about the best planned leis of mice and men?

What was that old saying about the best planned leis of mice and men?

I think it was, "the best planned leis ... require dinner, a movie, and some mood lighting."

the foggiest notion of what the hell it means!

It's a song about unrequited love. Essentially the troubador is saying that neither the First of May nor the beech trees nor the singing birds can make up for the fact that I am totally devoted to you and hopelessly in love and you don't even know I exist.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?R10C65BC

VORFRÜHLING

Es läuft der Frühlingswind
Durch kahle Alleen,
Seltsame Dinge sind
In seinem Wehn.

Is that langue d'oc?
Dr. Bill is in France...speaking German, no less?

langue d'oc
Dunno off hand, Max. I could check. I've got it on LP sommers. Course it'd be nice to hear Anne Azéma do it under the auspices of Joel Cohen. Oh, I spose its gotta be a guy does it, but she does have a way with a lyric. Onliest person I ever heard do ich was ein chind without making it sound as though it were just a simple song of dalliance.

"the best planned leis ... require dinner, a movie, and some mood lighting."

Mood? Is this the past perfect tense of moo? Well, if you want to get it on with a cow, go for it! Be sure to put a string of flowers around her neck first!

and don't tell tails afterwards!