IT has been celebrated since the 14th century – but May Day only earned a bank holiday in 1978.

And while some take part in traditional celebrations such as dancing around the maypole or selecting a May Queen, for many more it is just a three-day break which can often offer nicer weather than its August counterpart.

Many cultures celebrate on May 1 or the nearest weekend to it.

In England, the May Day tradition goes back until the 1300s. It was interrupted in the 1600s when the Puritans abolished the festivities, but was reinstated with the restoration of Charles II in 1660.

In the 19th century, May Day was also chosen as the date for International Workers’ Day.

Traditionally, village communities pick a May Queen, dressed in white, who personifies nature and is crowned with flowers and attended by children with garlands and white dresses. She often begins the May Day celebrations and rides at the front of a parade.

Dances then take place around a maypole, with dancers clutching ribbons and moving around each other until the ribbons are woven together around the pole. Morris dancers often figure in the day’s festivities as well.

In Dorset, many of the May Day traditions have fallen by the wayside, but the bank holiday weekend is still full of events.

One of the biggest, Blandford Georgian Fayre, is a relatively recent invention – having been going for a little over 25 years – but it seeks to revive a bygone time when community links were strongest.

Other events include Sherborne Abbey Music Festival throughout the weekend; World War Two at Studland, featuring events, talks and re-enactments, all weekend; Lyme Regis Fossil Festival on Saturday and Sunday; Knob Fest at Kingston Maurwood College, Dorchester, on Sunday, including the famous knob-throwing (the knob is a hard, savoury biscuit) and incorporating the Frome Valley Food Fest; and the start of the Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe (BEAF), which runs until May 12 featuring exhibitions, screenings, workshops and more.

Last year’s May Day bank holiday was a scorcher, with temperatures in London reaching 28.7C and breaking records for the early May holiday weekend.

This year, forecasters are expecting more modest highs of 12C-13C locally – but with a promise of sunny intervals and only a small risk of rain, trips out in Dorset should be as enjoyable as ever.