# May Morning

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{{Short description|Annual event in Oxford}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{for-multi|the 1970 thriller-drama film|May Morning (film)|the 1901 sculpture by [Edith Maryon](/source/Edith_Maryon)|May Morning (Maryon)}}
[[File:Magdalen-may-morning-2007-panorama.jpg|thumb|[Magdalen College, Oxford](/source/Magdalen_College%2C_Oxford), on May Morning, 2007]]
[[File:William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) - May Morning on Magdalen Tower - LL 3599 - Lady Lever Art Gallery.jpg|thumb|''[May Morning on Magdalen Tower](/source/May_Morning_on_Magdalen_Tower)'' (1890) by [William Holman Hunt](/source/William_Holman_Hunt)]]
thumb|right|Morris dancing on May Morning, Oxford 2004.
'''May Morning''' is an annual event in [Oxford](/source/Oxford), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), on [May Day](/source/May_Day) (1 May).

==Event==
The event starts early at 6&nbsp;a.m., though the festivities themselves begin much earlier with some people even starting late on April 30, with the [Magdalen College](/source/Magdalen_College%2C_Oxford) [Choir](/source/Choir) singing a hymn, the [Hymnus Eucharisticus](/source/Hymnus_Eucharisticus),<ref>[http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/history/cc_hymnus.shtml May Morning] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101040109/http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/history/cc_hymnus.shtml |date=1 January 2006 }}, [Magdalen College, Oxford](/source/Magdalen_College%2C_Oxford).</ref> from the top of [Magdalen Tower](/source/Magdalen_Tower%2C_Oxford). The choir traditionally also sings a madrigal, [Now Is the Month of Maying](/source/Now_Is_the_Month_of_Maying), following prayers for the city led by the Dean of Divinity. Large crowds of both students and Oxford residents normally gather under the tower, along the [High Street](/source/High_Street%2C_Oxford), and on [Magdalen Bridge](/source/Magdalen_Bridge%2C_Oxford). Students and fellows of Magdalen College gather in the college cloisters and on top of the other towers within the college grounds. In 2017 the event took place during the Bank Holiday weekend, and a record 27,000 people gathered to hear Sol Samba.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1061/thousands_of_people_expected_to_attend_may_morning_2019|title=Thousands of people expected to attend May Morning 2019|first=Oxford City|last=Council|website=www.oxford.gov.uk|accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref> During the 2020 [Coronavirus pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic) the event was cancelled, however the choir recorded a 'Virtual May Morning', originally broadcast live.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/news/virtual-may-morning/|title=Virtual May Morning|website=Magdalen College|accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref>

This is then followed by general revelry and festivities, including [Morris dancing](/source/Morris_dance) in [Radcliffe Square](/source/Radcliffe_Square) between the [University Church](/source/University_Church_of_St_Mary_the_Virgin) and the [Radcliffe Camera](/source/Radcliffe_Camera), impromptu music, etc., for a couple of hours from around 6.15&nbsp;am onwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/mayday |title=May Eve & May Day |author=<!-- not stated -->| website=Daily Info |access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> There is a party atmosphere, despite the early hour. In fact, in some years there are all-night [ball](/source/Ball_(dance))s the night before, so some people, especially students, are in formal attire.

There is a modern tradition of students jumping from Magdalen Bridge. This occurred sporadically in the 1960s, becoming an annual event by the 1980s. However, the river is sometimes shallow, which has on occasion caused serious injury, notably in 1997 when one person was left paralyzed, and 2005 when ten were hospitalised.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/4785758.stm| location=Oxford, UK | title=Jumpers' bridge closes on May Day | date=8 March 2006 | access-date=1 May 2013 | work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News) | publisher=[BBC](/source/BBC) }}</ref> Hence, the bridge was closed every May Morning during 1998–2001 and 2006–2009.

In the 19th century, the young townsmen blew horns and ran riot after the singing.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Activities have varied over the previous centuries. [Vera Brittain](/source/Vera_Brittain) wrote a poem with the title ''May Morning'' in 1916. The first ten lines depict the actual event.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1748|title=May Morning – First World War Poetry Digital Archive|website=ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk|accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref> One fictional description of the Tudor May Morning is in "Towers in the Mist" by [Elizabeth Goudge](/source/Elizabeth_Goudge).<ref>Elizabeth Goudge, ''Towers in the Mist''.</ref> Another description is found in the film ''[Shadowlands](/source/Shadowlands_(1993_film))'' directed by [Richard Attenborough](/source/Richard_Attenborough), on an episode in the life of the English scholar, writer, and fellow of Magdalen's [C. S. Lewis](/source/C._S._Lewis), starring [Anthony Hopkins](/source/Anthony_Hopkins) as C. S. Lewis and [Debra Winger](/source/Debra_Winger) as [Joy Davidman](/source/Joy_Davidman), and including footage from the 1993 May Morning celebrations.

During the [COVID-19 lockdowns](/source/COVID-19_lockdown_in_the_United_Kingdom), May Morning was hosted online in 2020 and 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.magdalencollegechoir.com/may-morning- | title=May Morning }}</ref> After two years of lockdown, May Morning began once more in earnest in 2022. Approximately 12,500 people crowded the streets to welcome the return of the festivities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maymorning.co.uk/|title=May Morning Oxford – Website celebrating May Day festivities in Oxford |website=May Morning Oxford|location=UK|accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/20107211.thousands-attend-may-morning-event-returns-oxford-2022/ | title=May Morning crowd number revealed as popular celebration returns | newspaper=[Oxford Mail](/source/Oxford_Mail) | location=UK | date=May 2022 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[English traditions on May Day](/source/May_Day)
*[The Oxcentrics](/source/The_Oxcentrics), a jazz band that played on May Mornings in the 1970s

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051217051157/http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/purchase/may_morning.shtml ''Music for a May Morning'' CD] from Magdalen College
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/culture/2003/05/mayday_2003.shtml May Morning 2003] from the [BBC](/source/BBC)

{{DEFAULTSORT:May Morning}}
Category:Magdalen College, Oxford
Category:Spring traditions
Category:History of Oxford<!-- town -->
Category:Culture in Oxford
Category:History of the University of Oxford<!-- gown -->
Category:Culture of the University of Oxford
Category:May Day
Category:English traditions
Category:Organised events in Oxford

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [May Morning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Morning) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Morning?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.