What is the importance of May 1st in the novel, Wishtree?

The first of May is an important date for Red every year because it is the traditional date for the wishtree custom. This tradition is reinforced when Ama’s birth mother leaves her in Red’s hollow on the first of May in the nineteenth century. Since this event effectively granted Maeve’s wish for someone to love, the neighborhood embraced the custom of the wishtree and that date became an important part of the community’s identity.