Maios (Μάιος in Greek), the month of May, took its name from the ancient goddess Maia (in Greek Μαία, the mother, the midwife, she who helps to give birth. Maia was the Greek goddess of fertility.
The first day of Maios (Πρωτομαγιά in modern Greek) celebrates the final victory of the summer against winter, the victory of life against death. The celebration is similar to an ancient ritual associated with another minor demi-god, Adonis, which also celebrated the revival of nature.
The celebration of Spring in ancient times was in association with the Anthesteria, a festival held in February and dedicated to the goddess of agriculture Demeter and her daughter Persephone.
Persephone emerged every year at the end of Winter from the Underworld. The Anthesteria was a festival of souls, plants and flowers, and Persephone’s coming to earth from Hades marked the rebirth of nature, a common theme in all these traditions.
What remains of the customs today, echoes these traditions of antiquity. A common, May Day custom involved the annual revival of a youth called Adonis, or alternatively of Dionysus, or of Maios (in Modern Greek Μαγιόπουλο, the Son of Maia).