May

Sarton, May, 1912-95, American poet and novelist, b. Wondelgem, Belgium. Her father was the science historian George Sarton; the family moved to the United States in 1916. Although cast in traditional molds and extremely lyrical, her poetry is modern in its wit and avoidance of dogmatism. In poetry and prose she concentrated on themes of love, solitude, individual uniqueness, and self-knowledge. Among her volumes of poetry are Encounter in April (1937), In Time Like Air (1957), Collected Poems 1930-1973 (1974), and Coming Into Eighty (1994). Her many novels include The Bridge of Years (1946), Faithful Are The Wounds (1955), The Small Room (1961), Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing (1965), As We Are Now (1973), A Reckoning (1978), Anger (1982), and The Education of Harriet Hatfield (1989). She is also known for such autobiographical works as Plant Dreaming Deep (1969), Journal of a Solitude (1973), Recovering (1980), Encore: A Journal of the 80th Year (1993), and At Eighty-Two (1995).

May, Philip William (Phil May), 1864-1903, English pen-and-ink caricaturist, b. Leeds. After living in poverty for many years, he made numerous drawings for the St. Stephen's Review. Phil May's Winter Annual, which began in 1892, was followed by collections of his sketches in albums such as Phil May's Gutter-Snipes (1896). During his last years he worked exclusively for Punch and the Graphic. May's work is distinguished for its economy of line, its brilliant characterization and gentle, kindly humor. Most of his types are taken from the stage, sporting events, and London street life.

May, Rollo, 1909-94, American psychologist, b. Ada, Ohio. Previously a theological student and Congregational minister, May received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia Univ. in 1949, and introduced to American psychology the views of the European existentialists. A pioneer of the humanistic school of psychology, his work focused on the positive aspects of human potential and on the will of individuals toward self-fulfillment. May's writings include Love and Will (1969, repr. 1981) and The Courage to Create (1975).

May, Thomas, 1595-1650, English author, b. Sussex, grad. Cambridge, 1612. Besides writing several tragedies on classical subjects, he wrote two comedies, The Heir (1620) and The Old Couple (c.1620). He made translations of Lucan's Pharsalia (1626-27) and Vergil's Georgics (1628) and wrote two historical poems on the reigns of Henry II (1633) and Edward III (1635). An ardent Puritan, he was secretary to the Long Parliament and wrote an objective History of the Parliament of England (1650).

May, Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Farnborough, 1815-86, English constitutional jurist and historian. A period of long service to Parliament, including his tenure (1871-86) as clerk of the House of Commons, led to his great Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings, and Usage of Parliament (1844).

may, name for several plants; in England, particularly the hawthorn. See also mayflower.

May, Cape: see Cape May.

Large European beetle (Melolontha melolontha) that damages foliage, flowers, and fruit as an adult and plant roots as a larva. In Britain, the name refers more broadly to any of the beetles in this subfamily (Melolonthinae), which are known in North America as June beetles. Seealso chafer, scarab beetle.

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Chinese intellectual revolution and sociopolitical reform movement (1917–21). In 1915 young intellectuals inspired by Chen Duxiu began agitating for the reform and strengthening of Chinese society through acceptance of Western science, democracy, and schools of thought, one objective being to make China strong enough to resist Western imperialism. On May 4, 1919, reformist zeal found focus in a protest by Beijing's students against the Versailles Peace Conference's decision to transfer former German concessions in China to Japan. After more than a month of demonstrations, strikes, and boycotts of Japanese goods, the government gave way and refused to sign the peace treaty with Germany. The movement spurred the successful reorganization of the Nationalist Party and gave birth to the Chinese Communist Party. Seealso Treaty of Versailles.

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In Europe, the day (May 1) for traditional springtime celebrations. It probably originated in pre-Christian agricultural rituals. Celebrations included a May king and queen, a Maypole, and people carrying trees, green branches, or garlands. May Day was designated an international labour day by the International Socialist Congress of 1899, and it remains the standard Labour Day worldwide, with a few exceptions, including Canada and the U.S. A major holiday in the Soviet Union and other communist countries, it was the occasion for important political demonstrations.

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(born Nov. 29, 1832, Germantown, Pa., U.S.—died March 6, 1888, Boston, Mass.) U.S. author. Daughter of the reformer Bronson Alcott, she grew up in Transcendentalist circles in Boston and Concord, Mass. She began writing to help support her mother and sisters. An ardent abolitionist, she volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War, where she contracted the typhoid that damaged her health the rest of her life; her letters, published as Hospital Sketches (1863), first brought her fame. With the huge success of the autobiographical Little Women (1868–69), she finally escaped debt. An Old-Fashioned Girl (1870), Little Men (1871), and Jo's Boys (1886) also drew on her experiences as an educator.

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orig. Doris May Tayler

(born Oct. 22, 1919, Kermānshāh, Persia [now Iran]) British novelist and short-story writer. She lived on a farm in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1924 to 1949 before settling in England and beginning her writing career. Her works, which have often reflected her leftist political activism, are largely concerned with people caught in social and political upheavals. Children of Violence (1952–69), a semiautobiographical five-novel series featuring the character Martha Quest, reflects her African experience and is among her most substantial works. The Golden Notebook (1962), her most widely read novel, is a feminist classic. Her masterful short stories are published in several collections. Other works include a science-fiction novel sequence, several novels published under the pseudonym Jane Somers, the volumes of autobiography Under My Skin (1994) and Walking in the Shade (1997), and collections of essays, including Time Bites (2004). She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007.

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orig. Doris May Tayler

(born Oct. 22, 1919, Kermānshāh, Persia [now Iran]) British novelist and short-story writer. She lived on a farm in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1924 to 1949 before settling in England and beginning her writing career. Her works, which have often reflected her leftist political activism, are largely concerned with people caught in social and political upheavals. Children of Violence (1952–69), a semiautobiographical five-novel series featuring the character Martha Quest, reflects her African experience and is among her most substantial works. The Golden Notebook (1962), her most widely read novel, is a feminist classic. Her masterful short stories are published in several collections. Other works include a science-fiction novel sequence, several novels published under the pseudonym Jane Somers, the volumes of autobiography Under My Skin (1994) and Walking in the Shade (1997), and collections of essays, including Time Bites (2004). She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007.

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(born Nov. 29, 1832, Germantown, Pa., U.S.—died March 6, 1888, Boston, Mass.) U.S. author. Daughter of the reformer Bronson Alcott, she grew up in Transcendentalist circles in Boston and Concord, Mass. She began writing to help support her mother and sisters. An ardent abolitionist, she volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War, where she contracted the typhoid that damaged her health the rest of her life; her letters, published as Hospital Sketches (1863), first brought her fame. With the huge success of the autobiographical Little Women (1868–69), she finally escaped debt. An Old-Fashioned Girl (1870), Little Men (1871), and Jo's Boys (1886) also drew on her experiences as an educator.

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May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. It is also a month within the northern season of spring.

The month may have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Although some historians claim that May was named after the Latin word majores which means older men since they say that May is dedicated to old men.

In Japan, there is a 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.)

In any calendar year, no other month starts on the same day of the week as May. (See: Months in various calendars)

Events in May

• In the Roman Catholic calendar, May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the worker.
• In the neopagan Wheel of the Year May begins on Beltane 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.
• In Germany it is an old custom to plant a "tree of May" to honor someone. Often young men set up an adorned birch in front of their girlfriend's house in the night before May 1.
• The first Saturday in May is the date of the annual Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the United States.
• May 4th in the Netherlands is the day of Remembrance of the Dead, commemorating all the casualties in military conflicts involving the Netherlands.
• Cinco de Mayo or the Batalla de Puebla is celebrated in Mexico on May 5. It is also celebrated in the USA wherever there is a sizable Mexican community.
• May 5th is the Children's Day in Japan, Korea and China
• May 5th is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, celebrating the ending of the German occupation.
• In the Europe May 5 is Europe Day (uncommon usage, largely replaced by May 9)
• In Western Europe May 8 is VE Day. In Eastern Europe it is celebrated on May 9.
• In the European Union May 9 is Europe Day
• Golden Spike Day (1869 - Completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad - Promontory Summit, Utah)
• On May 12, International Nurses Day is celebrated.
• Finland's Day in Finland on the 12th of May.
• May 12 is also 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.
• On May 17, the Norwegian Constitution Day is celebrated.
• In Chile, the Battle of Iquique (Combate Naval de Iquique), is celebrated on May 21, and it is a national holiday.
• Eritrea celebrates its Independence Day (Independence from Ethiopia) on May 24.
• In Ecuador, May 24 is remembered and celebrated as the day of the Battle of Pichincha - May 24, 1823.
• 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 United States.
• Each year in May, the Eurovision Song Contest is held.
• The Indianapolis 500 is held on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
• Labor Day in Queensland, Australia is celebrated on the 1st Monday in May.
• In Canada, Victoria Day is celebrated on the last Monday on or before May 24.

Monthlong events in May

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - celebration of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
• Mental Health Awareness Month - raising awareness about mental illness 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.
• In New Zealand, May is the New Zealand Music Month.
• May is Celebrate Older Adults Month.

Weeklong Events in May

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.

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, 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.

Last Monday

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

May symbols

• May's birthstone is the emerald.
• Its birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.

See also

• Historical anniversaries

External links

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