May

May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.

May begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Taurus and ends in the sign of Gemini. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Aries and ends in the constellation of Taurus.

The month may have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. See:-Months in various calendarsIn the old Japanese calendar, the month is called Satsuki (皐月). It is also a common name for females. In Japan, there is the so-called May sickness, where new students or workers start to be tired of their new schoolwork or jobs. (In Japan schoolyears and fiscal years start on April 1st).

May, from the Très riches heures du duc de Berry

In Finnish, the month is called toukokuu, meaning "month of sowing". In Slovene, it is called veliki traven, which means the month of high grass.

Events in May

*In the pagan wheel of the year May begins on Bealtaine in the northern hemisphere and Samhain in the southern hemisphere.
* In the Irish calendar May 1 is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of Summer, and a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.
* In many countries, May Day is May 1. This is celebrated as Labor Day in many countries.
* In the United Kingdom, May Day is May 1, but a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.
* Cinco de Mayo or the Batalla de Puebla is celebrated in Mexico on May 5.
* In Western Europe May 8 is VE Day. In Eastern Europe it is celebrated in May 9.
* In the European Union May 9 is Europe Day
* On 12 May, International Nurses Day is celebrated.
* May 12 is also International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND). These diseases include Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis(ME), Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome & Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
* On 17 May, the Norwegian Constitution Day is celebrated.
* In Argentina, the May Revolution (or Revolución de Mayo), a national holiday, is on May 25.
* Towel Day is celebrated in May in tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
* 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 US.

Monthlong Events in May

* Clean Air Month, created by the EPA and other health organizations
* National Bike Month
* Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - celebration of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States
* National Arthritis Month (US)
* National Salsa Month, Mostly celebrated due to Cinco De Mayo
* National Barbecue Month, In 1982 when the industry figured it was time to acknowledge that this is the time when 'the season' typically began
* Older Americans Month, Aging to Celebrate Older Americans Month in May
* May is Lightning Strike Awareness Month
* Jewish American Heritage Month - celebration of Jewish Americans in the United States
* 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.

Weeklong Events in May

1st Week in May
* In the American film industry, the first week of May marks the beginning of the summer movie season.

3rd Week in May
* The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 15-19 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 19

May Moving Events

* 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 the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama.
* In Canada, Victoria Day is observed on the Monday on or before May 24. In Quebec, it is known as Patriots' Day (Journée nationale des patriotes).

First Saturday
* In Kentucky, United States, the Kentucky Derby

Second Sunday
* In the US, Canada, Brazil and Australia, Mother's Day

First Friday
* No Pants Day

Second Saturday
* World Fair Trade Day is celebrated

Last Monday
* In the US, Memorial Day, a public holiday, is on May 30, but observed on the last Monday in May.

Trivia

*Within any calendar year, no other month begins on the same day of the week as May.
*The bird of May is the nightingale
*May's flower is the lily of the valley or hawthorn.
*May's birthstone is the emerald.
*May is the only month in which a President of the United States has not died.
*May in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to November in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.
*All Star Wars films were released this month.

Other names

*In Xhosa, May is known as ngekaCanzibe, meaning "month of Canopus". It is also the final month of the year by the traditional Xhosa calendar

See also

* Historical anniversaries

External links

* *
* kidscoop on Clean Air Month
* Bike Month Website
* M&N International Bright Idea Book(PDF)
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