From humble beginnings as a small community event with British roots, Port Coquitlam's May Day festival has become a multi-cultural celebration involving an entire community.
Everyone is no doubt excited about May Days that run from May 5 to 13, with celebrations of the royal party, arts and cultural events, a parade and party featuring food, live entertainment and performances at Terry Fox Hometown Square.
But thanks to research by PoCo Heritage and the museum's digital photo collection and artifacts, we now know more about the annual spring event and how it has changed over the years.
An exhibit, running from April 26 to June 23 at Port Coquitlam City Hall and the Port Coquitlam Community Centre will showcase some of these photos and regalia from May Days past.
There's also a book,100 Years of May Day in Port Coquitlam, and a special exhibit opening on May 11 at the Michael Wright Gallery.
Why did May Days start?
Imagine Port Coquitlam's early days when families were working hard to make a good living for themselves. Winter would have been cold and damp, just like it is today, while spring promised excitement of a new beginning.
May Day may have started as an ancient pagan festival to celebrate spring back in Europe. But by the time British immigrants started to arrive in the city, it had developed certain traits that included maypole dancing and a royal party of young girls.
"The broad outline of May Days was brought over," according Alex Code, museum manager and curator.
The first May Day celebration was held at James Park Elementary School, organized by Winter Maxwell in 1916, but the official first event was held in the spring of 1923 when James Park and Central schools combined their efforts.
The early royal party often featured the daughters of local notables, including the daughter of the mayor, and was a bit of a popularity contest.
But it also gave young girls and the women of the town an opportunity to shine, according to Cynthia MacMillan, who put together a book of photos dating back to the early days of the festival.
"It was a way for women to stand out in the community early on," MacMillan said.
As PoCo grows, so does May Days
As the city grew, however, more events were added, such as the Rotary Parade, and the royal party grew in size as more roles were added, including for boys — and names were drawn out of a hat.
It's also notable that a young girl of Chinese heritage was the May Queen in 1992 (Sabrina Shong's purple cape is part of the exhibit) and a male position of Ambassador was added to the Royal Party in 1993.
"It definitely became more reflective of Canadian society," said Code. "there are more participants and more diversity."
Today Port Coquitlam’s May Day celebration has a May Queen and an Ambassador, who, along with the Royal Party, preside over the festivities, which normally include a parade, music, entertainment and dancing around maypoles.
Bob Lee, long-time chairperson of the May Day organizing committee, told the Tri-city News that every effort is made to make the event "inclusive," including ensuring that the event is low cost or free.
As well, he says that the entertainment is much more reflective of the community, including the importance of including an indigenous perspective, performances from cultural communities, and activities for all ages.
"We are trying to keep a bit of tradition in place while also bringing in the new events that are happening because of the diversity and culture," said Lee.
"It had a very British beginning and now it’s very multi-cultural."
2023 Royal Party a big group
This year's Royal Party includes the following children:
Back row standing: Benjamin Nicoll (Lancer), Nathan Patel (Lancer), Sudhanwa Koundinya (Lancer), Alan Shong (Lancer), Lily Muir (2022 May Queen), Maryam Dinari (1st Princess), Natalie Willemse (2023 May Queen), Carter Wainwright (2023 Ambassador), Daniel Alvarez (Record Bearer), Javier Johnston (2022 Ambassador), Charlie Amirault (Lancer), Ryden Wu (Lancer), Brenden Lui (Lancer)
Middle row – (Princesses): Grace Zhao, Kacey Herrera, Maanya Sood, Isabelle Johnston, Cristina Hara, Claire Robbie, Lydia Alemu, Elissa Sadeghpour, Zoe Milne, Alivia Heavenor
Front row – (Flower Girls): Olivia Weisgerber, Chloe Comey, Scarlette Bower, Marwa Dinari, Audrey Osborne, Donya Soltani, Jr Lancers: Ryan Smith, Kyle Marples, Kolob Ho, Alex Wainwright, Connor Wa, Aiden Read
