The Maypole is a huge wooden pole that is put up on the first of May. It is often colorful and decorated before being put up for the town to see. A lesser known tradition of Munich(Germany) is to steal nearby towns Maypoles before they go up on May 1. The thieving town is then rewarded with a festival thrown by the town who had their Maypole stolen. The festival consists of massive quantities of free food and drink. On May 1st, all towns check the news to see who had their Maypoles stolen.
In recent years, technology has aided the thieves in stealing Maypoles. A Maypole was stolen a couple years ago via helicopter lift. The town without a Maypole complained that they would not throw a festival for the thieving town. Their argument was that a theft of this magnitude was not in the spirit of the original game. The case then went to court, and the judge ruled in favor of the helicopter theft.
Another funny story about stealing the Maypole involved Google. Towns attempt to hide their Maypole before they erect it on May 1st. A clever town decided to hide their Maypole in the woods were NOBODY would find it. However, a quick look on Google Earth by the adjacent town showed exactly where the secret location was. It is interesting to learn about old traditions, changes in them, and how technology has affected them!
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