Hello and welcome to super great kids' stories, wise tales from storytellers around the world, which will make you laugh and

sometimes cry. Recommended for ages five to 105. I'm Kim and I love stories. This week we have a scary story for the 1st of May, told by Emily Hannah Grazebrook called

The Two Silly Witches.

Hello, super great kids, and how are you?

I'm very happy because it's the 1 first of May, which means summer is arriving.

And in the UK, it's celebrated with a holiday, picnics and folk dancing, which includes dancing around a Maypole,

which is like a tall pole wrapped with coloured ribbons.

My boys who like to sing go out very early on May the First to sing matriacles,

which are jolly little song sung in small groups with no musical instruments.

Here's a little snippet of one.

Now is the month of Maying when Mary lads are playing. Fala la la la la la la la la la.

Ah, I do like a bit of fa la la la line. If you do, then look that song up. Now is the month of

Maying sung by the Kingsingers. We've already heard on this

podcast how in Ireland the First of May is associated with mischievous fairies. Remember the story

Kate Corkery told called Eggshell soup with that funny changeling baby? But did you know that

the First of May is also associated with witches?

Yes, in lots of European countries, people say that witches hold a party on the eve of May Day.

So, in some countries like Germany and Sweden and Finland, they have a festival

called Valpurgis Night, when people dance and bonfires are burned to scare the witches

away. In Ireland, on May the 1st, people used to lock their cow sheds and didn't let their cows out into the fields so that the witches wouldn't steal their milk.

How about that?

So, to Mark May the 1st on Super Great Kids Stories this year, we are very fortunate to have storyteller Emily Hannah Gracebrook telling us a May Day scary story about witches.

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