May Day Parade: A Unique Tradition in the Twin Cities

Similar in Spain, there are several festivals in May throughout the United States. Different states have their unique traditions and the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, have one of the coolest festivals around!

Minneapolis is located in the state of Minnesota, which is in the north-central part of the US.

On May Day, which is the first day of May, hundreds of people dress up in costumes and walk in the parade. The processions comment on current social and political issues. For example, this year, there were many processions about domestic politics, including the election of Donald Trump and immigration. 

This photo is from the 2016 parade. This puppet commemorates the death of Prince, a famous musician that was from Minnesota.

After the parade, there is a big ceremony called the Tree of Life ceremony. The ceremony consists of a story told with children, dancers, puppeteers, a live orchestra and four giant puppets who represent the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods. The story is about welcoming warmer weather and celebrating the joy of no more winter!

This is one of the major puppets from the Tree of Life ceremony! 

These are the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods puppets in the Tree of Life ceremony

Questions:

1. Where is the May Day parade located?

2. What does the parade celebrate?

3. What is the main idea of the ceremony after the parade?

4. If you had to participate in the May Day parade, what would you dress up as?