Friday sees the start of May - and the appearance of some weird and wonderful traditions.

From Maypoles to washing in morning dew, read News Shopper's top five traditions kicking off the fifth month of the year.

1. Roman festival of Flora

Although summer does not officially begin until June, May Day is said to mark the start of the season.

May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer and was held annually from April 28 to May 3.

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An image of Roman deity, Flora

2. Hobby Horses

May Day traditions in southern England include the Hobby Horses that still rampage through the towns of Dunster and Minehead in Somerset, and Padstow in Cornwall.

The horse or the 'Oss' is a local person dressed in flowing robes wearing a mask with a grotesque, but colourful, caricature of a horse.

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A Hobby Horse

3. Maypole dancing

On May day, people used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer.

People danced around them in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin.

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A traditional May Pole dance

FACT: The tallest maypole is said to have been erected in London on the Strand in 1661; it stood over 143 feet high. It was felled in 1717, when it was used by Isaac Newton to support Huygen's new reflecting telescope.

4. Washing in the early morning dew

In the late 29th century girls would make a special point of washing their faces in the dew of the early morning.

They believed this made them very beautiful for the following year.

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5. May Day Lifting

There was once a tradition in England of 'lifting' where a gang of young men would lift a pretty girl in a flower bedecked chair on May day.

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May Queen's adorned in flowers