May Day in the Manx calendar. Mountain ash branches placed on doorways and gateposts to protect the household from evil. Rowan crosses tied with red thread above the door. Cattle driven between fires for purification. The combat between winter and summer enacted on every farm. One of the quarter days marking the turning of the Manx year, connecting the agricultural calendar to the older world of protective custom. The mountain ash went on the door because that was what you did on May Day. The practice required no explanation to the people who carried it out, and no permission from anyone else.