Facts About The Month Of May

May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.

No other month begins or ends on the same day of the week as May in any year. January of the following year always begins and ends on the same day of the week as May of the current year.

The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for "elders," and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or "young people" (Fasti VI.88).

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Events in May (see May Calendar for more)

April 29 to May 5 in Japan, which includes four different holidays, is called "Golden Week". Many workers have up to 10 days off. There is also 'May sickness', where new students or workers start to be tired of their new routine. (In Japan the school year and fiscal year start on April 1.)

In the neopagan Wheel of the Year, May begins on Beltane in the northern hemisphere and Samhain in the southern hemisphere.

May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the worker in the Roman Catholic calendar. In the Catholic Church the month of May is dedicated to and honors the Blessed Virgin Mary.

May 1 in the Irish calendar is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of Summer, and a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.

May is the month of Music in New Zealand.

May 1 is May Day in many countries. This is also celebrated as Labor Day in many countries.

May 1 is May Day in the United Kingdom, however the public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.

The night before May 1 in Germany it is an old custom to plant a "Maypole" to honor someone. Often young men set up an adorned birch in front of their girlfriend's house.

May 3 is when the Polish Constitution Day is celebrated in Poland.

May 3 is Constitution Day in Japan.

The first Saturday in May is the date of the annual Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the United States.

May 4 is the day of Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands, commemorating all the casualties in military conflicts involving the Netherlands.

May 4 is Liberation Day in Denmark, celebrating the ending of the German occupation from April 9, 1940, to May 4, 1945.

May 5 is when Cinco de Mayo or the Batalla de Puebla is celebrated in Mexico. It is also celebrated widely in the United States.

May 5 is the Children's Day in Japan and Korea

May 5 is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, celebrating the ending of the German occupation.

May 5 is Europe Day in Europe (uncommon usage, largely replaced by May 9).

May 8 is VE Day in Western Europe. In Eastern Europe it is celebrated on May 9.

May 9 is Europe Day in the European Union.

May 9 is Victory Day in the former Soviet Union, celebrating the capitulation of Nazi Germany.

May 10 is Golden Spike Day (1869 – Completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad – Promontory Summit, Utah)

May 10 is Mother's Day in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

May 12 is International Nurses Day.

May 12 is the day of the Finnish language in Finland.

May 12 is International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND). These diseases include Neurofibromatosis, Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

May 13 is when the Catholic Church honors the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the three children of Fátima, Portugal – May 13, 1917.

May 13 was Lumeria the day for seeing spirits to the other side in ancient Rome, the holiday was later moved to November 1st and called All Souls' Day.

May 15 is the beginning of Tourette Syndrome awareness month. It ends on June 15th.

May 17 is Norwegian Constitution Day.

May 17 is Vesak full moon poya day(Buddhism's Holiest Day, The day of birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and passing away (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha.

May 18 is International Day of Capitalism

May 21 is when the Battle of Iquique (Combate Naval de Iquique) is celebrated in Chile, and it is a national holiday.

May 24 is when Eritrea celebrates its Independence Day (Independence from Ethiopia).

May 24 is remembered and celebrated in Ecuador as the day of the Battle of Pichincha – May 24, 1823.

May 25 is the May Revolution (or Revolución de Mayo), a national holiday in Argentina.

May 25 is Towel Day, in tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

May 28 is Armenia's first independence, from the Ottoman Empire;- May 28, 1918.

Under the French Ancien Régime, it was of habit to "plant a May" or a "tree of May" in the honor of somebody. The County of Nice saw girls and boys "turn the May" with the sound of fife and drum, i.e. to dance rounds of May around the tree of May planted on the place of the village.

The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day in the United States.

Each year in May, the Eurovision Song Contest is held.

The Indianapolis 500 is held on the Sunday before Memorial Day.

In Canada, Victoria Day is celebrated on the last Monday on or before May 24.

The last Monday of May is Memorial Day in the United States, first celebrated on May 5, 1866, in Waterloo, New York.

Monthlong events in May (see also: List of commemorative months)

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month. (From an SLP person with their masters degree)

May is National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. (http://www.MilesForHope.org)

May is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Awareness Month.

South Asian Heritage Month – celebration of Indian/South Asian peoples and peoples of Indian/South Asian descent worldwide

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – celebration of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Jewish American Heritage Month – celebration of Judaism in the United States.

Mental Health Awareness Month – raising awareness about mental illness in the United States.

National Military Appreciation Month – in the United States to recognize and honor the US Armed Forces.

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May is traditionally devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic traditions. May crowning occurs in some locales at the beginning of the month.

In New Zealand, May is the New Zealand Music Month.

Older Americans Month in the United States, established by John F. Kennedy in 1963.

National Moving Month in the United States – recognizing America's mobile roots and kicking off the busiest moving season of the year.

National Smile Month in the United Kingdom

Eurovision Song Contest.

May is National amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Awareness Month in the United States.

National Bike Month in the United States

May is Drinking Water Month in the United States and Canada

Weeklong events in May

1st Week of May

New Zealand Sign Language Week happens once every year in May, Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand organises NZSL Week with over 500 events happening in New Zealand to help promote the language as well as raise awareness about New Zealand’s Deaf community.

2nd Week of May

Bike Week (Bicycle Week) is a yearly international event that advocates the importance of bicycling as a means of transportation. Bike Week takes place during the second week of May or June and is typically an entire week of city-wide cycling supplemented with events.

3rd Week in May

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 14 to 18, 2012 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 18, 2012.

Last Week in May

ALIA celebrates Library and Information week in May. Events are organised by libraries around Australia to encourage people to use their local libraries. Children's librarians hold a special event known as National Simultaneous Storytime, where public and school libraries read the same book, at 11 am EST, to children around Australia.

International Headband Week runs from the Monday-Friday in the last week of May. People all around the world are encouraged to wear Headbands to work and other social events to promote character building and confidence in the workplace and other social environments.

May moving events (see Movable May Holidays for more)

Eastern Christianity celebrates Easter on a Sunday between April 4 and May 8.

On the full moon of May, Vesak is celebrated in many southeast Asian countries; it commemorates Siddhartha Gautama.

In Canada, Victoria Day is observed on the Monday on or before May 24. In Quebec, it is known as Patriots Day.

First or second Friday

In the United States, Military Spouse Day is observed on the Friday preceding Mother's Day.

First Saturday

In Kentucky, United States, the Kentucky Derby

Second Sunday

Is Mother's Day in Anguilla, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Croatia, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

Second Saturday

World Fair Trade Day is celebrated.

Third Saturday

The Preakness Stakes is run, second jewel in the triple crown of horse racing.

Last Sunday

Is Mother's Day in Algeria, Dominican Republic, France, Haiti, Mauritius, Morocco, Sweden, Tunisia.

Is Children's Day in Hungary.

Last Monday

In the United States, Memorial Day, a public holiday, is on May 30, but observed on the last Monday in May.

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May symbols

May's birthstone is the emerald which means love or success.

The Zodiac signs for the month of May are Taurus (until May 20) and Gemini (May 21 onwards).

Its "birth flower" is the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna.

See "Birthday Flowers" for each individual day of May.

See also

List of historical anniversaries

List of May Observances

Movable May Holidays

Weird May Holidays

May Food Observances

List of Holiday Categories

Holidays Observed Nationwide

Daily Reasons-To-Celebrate

References

National Military Appreciation Month

McGuire, Holly; Keil, Kathryn (2010). Chase's 2011 Calendar of Events. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Bike Month Website

Australia Library and Information week

State History Guide

Further reading

External links

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Resources:

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses some material from Wikipedia/article February / and other related pages. Top Photo: homestead stock

Note: We try to keep our information up to date but it must be said that organizations sometimes change the date of their holiday and many holidays are actual movable holidays which means the date will change from year to year. We try to keep you up to date but we do suggest that you not take our research set in stone. We ask that you let our information be a guide to you as you continue to do your own calendar research. :) Thank You! • •

Happy Birthday Gemini - May

Perhaps the most dominant Geminian characteristic is versatility. It is also considered an air sign, and is one of four mutable signs. Gemini has been closely associated with the planet Mercury and is considered to be ruled by it. Being the third sign of the zodiac, Gemini has been associated with the astrological third house.

Individuals born when the Sun was in this sign are considered Gemini individuals. Under the tropical (western) zodiac, the Sun is in the sign of Gemini roughly from May 21 to June 20, ending at the moment of summer solstice by definition. Under the sidereal zodiac, it is currently there roughly from June 15 to July 15. The Sanskrit name of Gemini in Hindu astrology is Mithuna.

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The Lily of the Valley is the Flower of the month for May: (also Hawthorn)

Convallaria majalis (pronounced /ˌkɒnvəˈlɛəriə məˈdʒeɪlɨs/), commonly known as the lily of the valley or lily-of-the-valley, is possibly the only species in the genus Convallaria in the flowering plant family Ruscaceae (or one of two, or three, if C. keiskei and C. transcaucasica are recognised as separate species).

Christian legend:

Convallaria close-upThe flower is also known as Our Lady's tears, since, according to Christian legend, the lily of the valley came into being from Eve's tears after she was driven with Adam from the Garden of Eden, although this seems unlikely, since in Catholic parlance, "Our Lady" refers to the Virgin Mary. Another Christian legend states that Mary's tears turned to lily of the valley when she cried at the crucifixion of Jesus, and because of this it is also known as Mary's tears. According to another legend, lilies of the valley also sprang from the blood of Saint Leonard of Noblac during his battles with a dragon.

• not to be confused with your birthday flower

Weird May Holidays

Our monthly calendar is packed full of unique, strange, bazaar, wacky and weird holidays that make perfect Theme Parties if your looking for something wild to celebrate. (can also be known as Unofficial Holidays) Strange holidays like these are taking on a new popularity in today's culture and can be celebrated world wide even though most listed were first made popular in the United States. Most weird holidays honor some kind of wacky invention or a fun and bazaar thing to do. • Dates for Friday the 13th • Weird Holiday Directory

May Food Holidays

Although major holidays such as Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving, are referred to as food holidays, we are actually talking about daily observances that's held in honor of a certain food. Did you know that each month has foods that represent it? It sure does! Just about every day in the month is celebrated by a food holiday. Plus month and week observances too! • Recipe Directory for Traditional Holiday Food

Spring - March 20 through June 20 -

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring runs from March into June, and in the Southern Hemisphere it runs from September into November. Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life (both plant and animal) being born. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times, as in the Prague Spring. • List of Winter Festivals • List of Spring Festivals • List of Summer Festivals • Send Spring E-Greetings!

Movable May Holidays

Movable Holidays are ones that do not always occur on the same day or date each year. Movable Holidays are also the hardest holidays to keep up because individuals will unknowingly list them as occurring on the same day each year when they are indeed a movable holiday.

Reasons To Celebrate (this section is a work in progress)

There are many types of holidays and many reasons to celebrate each day! This section of our website is a day to day directory for around the world observances. Our wish is to give you a better understanding of the holidays for each day, so you too can join in the celebrations. Yes, there really is a Holidays for everyday.

May Calendar & observances It's National Month of? It's National Week of? It's National Day of?

The month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural "period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates."

Our calendar has a list of holidays observed for the whole month.

Meatless Mondays - Every Month

Meatless Monday is a public health awareness campaign promoting meatless, low-fat meals once a week as part of a goal to reduce the saturated fat in American diets by 15% by the year 2010."

Gnocchi Day (29) Argentina / Food Holiday

"The Europeans brought many of their influences to Argentina and one of their great contributions was the gnocchi. Apparently Argentineans were pretty impressed with this food because it not only received its own day of the year, it received its own 12 days of the year. The 29th of every month is Gnocchi Day, (or as the Argentineans call it “ñoquis del 29″)" • How to celebrate Gnocchi Day • Gnocchi Recipe

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Resources: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses some material from Wikipedia/article May / and other related pages. Top Photo: wiki