Washing in May Dew

Edinburgh and Perth in Henderson’s account

He names Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and Kinnoul Hill in Perth. The gathering is tied to May Day morning rather than any morning in spring.

William Henderson, Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders, 1879, Chapter II, Days and Seasons; May Day paragraph beginning “On May Day morning in Edinburgh”

A May morning custom involved washing the face in dew and climbing hills before sunrise.

Sources1 source

Primary source

William Henderson, incorporating the Wilkie manuscript and named correspondents, Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders, new edition (W. Satchell, Peyton and Co. for the Folk-Lore Society, 1879), 1879, Chapter II, Days and Seasons; May Day paragraph beginning “On May Day morning in Edinburgh”Reports the May Day gatherings at Arthur’s Seat and Kinnoul Hill, and the belief that face-washing in May dew gives beauty for the year.