Another facet of the Feast day of James the Less being celebrated on May 1st is that the Celts throughout Europe also held this day as sacred.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane states that Beltane is the anglicized version of the Gaelic name for the month of May. In some cases it is also the name of the festival that takes place on the first day of May.  For the Celts, Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season when the herds of livestock were driven out to the summer pastures and mountain grazing lands.  In modern Irish, Mí na Bealtaine ('month of Bealtaine') is the name for the month of May.  In Irish Gaelic the month is known as Bealtaine and the festival as Lá Bealtaine ('day of Bealtaine' or, May Day).  In modern Scottish Gaelic the month is known as either an Cèitean or a' Mhàigh and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn.
 
As an ancient Gaelic holiday it was celebrated around May 1, the date also known as May Day. Historically, this festival was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. There were similar festivals held at the same time in the other Celtic countries of Wales, Brittany and the county of Cornwall. Bealtaine and Samhain were the leading terminal dates of the civil year in Ireland though the latter festival was the most important. The festival survives in folkloric practices in the Celtic Nations and the diaspora, and has experienced a degree of revival in recent decades. In Ireland during the Middle Ages it was commonly referred to as Céad Shamhain or Cétshamhain. In shortened form this term is Céadamh(ain) while Dia Céadamhan is May Day and Mí Céadamhan is May.
 
Now let's have even more fun with Rosslyn Chapel and May Day. The Glen below Rosslyn Chapel and the Castle has been known for centuries for its hospitality toward roaming Gypsy caravans.  The story goes that the Sinclairs welcomed and sheltered the Gypsies general society shunned them. The Gypsies would arrive every spring and camp in Rosslyn Glen. During their stay, they would perform many plays and invite the surrounding villagers to engage in happy festivities surrounding May Day and the May Pole. The Gypsy legends say that their anscestors came from Alexandria, Egypt, in the early 1st and 2nd Centuries, and then migrated through eastern Europe, never really finding a home. They also claimed to preserve the ancient Egyptian traditions in the forms of playing cards and symbol interpretations. The symbols of the four suits of playing card are carved into the  spires on the eastern  end of the roof!
 
The Rosslyn's museum (which is now closed) once displayed Gypsy paraphenalia, including tea reading cups and a bust carving of St. Sarah, the patron Saint of the Gypsies. Even today, a modern day Caravan (camping trailer) park remains open for business next to the Chapel. It is interesting that Rosslyn's hopspitality continues forward in this old tradition of Gypsy wanderlust and holiday travellers seeking nature at its best.... returning to the best of what May Day has to offer... pure fun!
 
Merry month of May, Everyone!