While May 1 is marked by a bank holiday, another forgotten Edinburgh tradition could be making a comeback.
Dating back centuries, the tradition involves climbing to the top of Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat to wash your face with the first-morning dew of May.
Said to provide health, happiness, and beauty for the coming year, the trek was popular with young women in the city who would wake up at 4am. People would have to get up at the crack of dawn as, by 8am, the dew would be gone.
READ NEXT- A1 East Lothian incident: Emergency services rush to car engulfed in flames
With pagan origins, the tradition known as 'a-maying', is thought to be related to the Druidic Beltane festival, which is still celebrated to this day - despite Scotland becoming a Christian country through the centuries. As late as May 1, 1968 thousands of people were seen on Arthur's Seat taking part.
A Christian service was sometimes held on top of the hill on the same day and the two customs often combined.
Numbers dwindled later in the 20th Century, but it seems the May Day facial scrub hasn't vanished from memory altogether, as social media posts suggest there are still a few people who know of the May Day custom.
In 2017, the Traditional Customs and Ceremonies blog reported seeing a few people washing their faces with morning dew on the first morning of May.
If you're interested in trying it yourself, St Anthony's Well, near Holyrood Palace, was said to be a good place to catch the morning dew, but you'll have to wait until next year now.
The poem 'Auld Reekie', written by Robert Ferguson in 1773, contains the lines:
On May-day, in a fairy ring,
We've seen them round St Anthon's spring,
Frae grass the cauler dew draps wring
To weet their een,
And water clear as crystal spring
To synd them clean
Have you gone up to Arthur's Seat on May 1? Let us know in the comments.
READ NEXT-
Iconic Edinburgh hotel 'being primed' for eye-watering £100million sale
Trainee West Lothian nursery worker pushed child's head back with her fingers
The lost secret tunnel near Edinburgh that locals discovered 'by accident'
Edinburgh getting stuffed cookie eatery Chulos - that people travel an hour to try
Three rushed to Edinburgh hospital, including baby, after collision on busy road
