May

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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.

May begins 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 calendars

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).

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.
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.
May 5th is the Children's Day in Japan and Korea.
May 5th is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, celebrating the ending of the German occupation.
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 its a national holiday.
Eritrea celebrates its Independence Day (Independence from Ethiopia) on May 24.
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.

Monthlong events in May

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - celebration o 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 Saturday

In Kentucky, United States, the Kentucky Derby

Second Sunday

Is Mothers 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.

First Friday

No Pants Day

First Sunday

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.

Symbols

The bird of May is the nightingale
May's birth flower is the lily of the valley or hawthorn.
May's birthstone is the emerald.

Other names

In Chinese, the "fifth month" is Wǔyuè meaning "fifth month".
In Croatian, it is called "svibanj", derived from the word svib meaning dogwood.
In Czech, it is called květen, which means the "month of blooms".
In Finnish, the month is called toukokuu, meaning "month of sowing".
In Scottish Gaelic, it is called An Cèitean.
In Italian, it's called maggio.
In Japanese, it is called Gogatsu or Satsuki, meaning "fifth month"
In Korean, it is called "O-weol" meaning "fifth month".
In Polish, May is know as Maj, like English it is influenced by the Goddess.
In Slovene, it is called maj or veliki traven, which means the month of high grass.
In Spanish, the month is called Mayo, like English, influence from the Classical goddess Maia.
In Turkish, the month is called Mayıs meaning "Month of Maia", like English it is influenced by the Classical goddess Maia.
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.
In Dutch, May is called Mei
In Swedish, May is called Maj.
In German , May is called Mai.

External links

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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 19:31:36 PDT (GMT -0700)
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May