Celebrate May Day of which in Roman times was known as the Festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers so if you're looking for something a little different to dress up as on that day why not a Roman Goddess costume or go a bit far out and dress as a Hippy and spread peace and flower power man! It's certain to be a talking point.

Though modern May day celebrations are best known for the tradition of dancing around the maypole and the crowning of the Queen of May and the perfect costume for that is our Queen Guinevere Costume and for the children we have a great selection of flowery princess costumes to choose from.

Did you know that we've only had a Spring Bank Holiday at the beginning of May since 1978? In 2011 there were rumours that the government were planning on getting rid of it, and having a Bank Holiday in October instead, but so far they've not managed it - and we're quite pleased by that! May 1st is also St Joseph's Day. St Joseph was the patron saint of workers, and seeding on farms had usually been completed by the beginning of May so it was traditional to give the workers a day off.

The first recorded celebrations were called Floralia during the Roman Republic. It also ties in with the Gaelic Beltane, which is traditionally held on April 30th. In pre-Christian European pagan cultures, February 1st was the first day of spring, May was the first day of summer and summer solstice or midsummer was June 25th. These are still observed by pagans across the globe, but have been appropriated into wider culture - especially May Day, with the spring bank holiday falling at the same time.

May Day celebrations are often held in villages and towns across the UK, with maypole dancing, a May Queen and even Morris dancing. There will be lots of May Day celebrations going on all over the country this Spring Bank Holiday, many of them involving fancy dress. As well as the usual Morris Dancers, May Queens and dancing around the maypole, there are some other interesting traditions. The Mayday Run is not officially organised, but has been running for almost 30 years and sees motorcyclists from all over the UK convening in London for a ride to Hastings seafront. At the University of St Andrews, students traditionally gather on the beach and run into the North Sea at sunrise in May Day... We're not so sure about that one; it sounds a bit chilly to us! We'll stick with May Day fancy dress for now!