Maypole

My husband took down the Maypole yesterday and I spent about an hour untangling the ribbons. I calculated that we've already used these ribbons four times: two times as part of Cinco De Mayo parties and twice in the Circle. They were pretty worn out, starting to crack, all the colors except the purple and teal had faded to white.
My friend who's coming up from Florida tomorrow (yay!) volunteered to bring new ribbons. I was about to cut the old ribbons off the hooks and throw them away yesterday and it felt so wrong. Not that I want to hold onto some mangy old ribbons, just wrong to toss them. So I've decided we're going to burn them (they're paper) when we burn the tobacco ties at the end of the ceremony, and then I will take the ashes and the dead copal and the flowers and give them to the Pool of Souls just west of me (aka Quinnipiac River).