As we begin the month of May on Saturday, a beautiful practice during the month of May is to do a May Crowning for the Blessed Virgin Mother. The entire month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Queen of May, Queen of heaven and earth.

 

It is traditional to honor Mary in a special way the month of May, and the most traditional way to do that is with a May Crowning. All it takes is a statue of Mary and a crown to place on her head. Usually, the crown is made of flowers, which makes it pretty easy to make yourself. There are no official rules or guidelines, but here are a few steps to get you started.

 

May Crowning Steps:

• Get a statue of Mary – It can be large or small, permanently installed, or portable. Ideally, it should be large enough to be the focal point of the event but small enough for the head to be easily reached. Otherwise, you will also need a step stool.

 

• Make a crown for the statue – Using floral wire, or some other flexible wire, measure the circumference of the head of the statue. Clip enough wire to go around the head three times, with some overlap to spare. Loosely twist the wire around itself to make a form for the crown, leaving openings to weave flowers in between the wires. Choose any flowers you like to weave into the crown, tucking the stems behind the flowers. It is best to add flowers to the crown just before the crowning to avoid wilting.

 

• Encourage kids to dress up for the occasion – Typically it is tradition for students who have made their First Communion during the year to dress in their First Communion dresses or suites.

 

• Choose your May Queen – Usually it is tradition to choose the First Communion girl to be the May Queen and to crown Mary. If you do not have a girl who celebrated her First Communion, it is tradition to choose the oldest girl.   

 

• Get some blossoms and decorations – A May Crowning needs flowers! Any kind and color will do. Perhaps set up a vase or vases at Mary’s feet to hold the flowers.

 

• Choose the Music – Recorded Marian hymns can be played, or folks who play an instrument can play. Some appropriate hymns are “Immaculate Mary,” “Hail Mary, Gentle Women,” “Hail Holy Queen,” and “Ave Maria.”

 

• Do it! – One way to do it might be for everyone holding flowers to line up behind the Queen of May and walk as she slowly approaches the statue and places the crown on Mary’s head while singing. Everyone who follows behind places flowers in one of the vases at Mary’s feet. Once all the flowers have been placed and the song or songs are finished everyone prayers the Hail Mary together, and the ceremony is finished! 

 

This week start planning your May Crowning ceremony! Remember it can be super simple!

 

Resources from: The Catholic All Year Compendium