Tidbits of history: May, the fifth month of the year, might have been named for Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and growth, or for the Majores, a branch of the Roman Senate. It is a month that is associated with flowers and mild weather in the northern hemisphere but it is a winter month in the southern hemisphere.
The first day, called May Day, was once a popular festival honoring Flora, the goddess of flowers. It was a day of Maypole dancing and other charming customs, many of which disappeared with the fast pace of progress in the Western world. In the last half of the twentieth century, the day has been celebrated as a favorite international holiday for workers of all kinds. At least 66 nations in the world celebrate Labor Day on May 1 with parades, speeches, and civic gatherings. In a few European countries such as Finland, the day is also a special spring festival for students.
May is the “month of Mary” for Roman Catholics throughout the world. The Virgin Mary is honored during the entire month with pilgrimages and observances at great cathedrals and at special shrines. In the U.S. it is the month when the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish faiths, each in its own way, observe National Family Week, which leads up to the most popular of May observances, Mother’s Day.
The special flowers for the month are the hawthorn and the lily of the valley.
The birthstone is the emerald.
…from Gregory, Ruth W. Anniversaries and Holidays, Third Edition;. Chicago: American Library Association, 1975.
This month is celebrated as:
- Date Your Mate Month
- Foster Care Month
- National Barbecue Month
- National Bike Month
- National Blood Pressure Month
- National Chocolate Custard Month
- National Egg Month
- National Hamburger Month
- National Loaded Potato Month
- National Photograph Month
- National Recommitment Month
- National Salad Month
- National Salsa Month
- National Strawberry Month
- Older Americans Month
And, in May you can celebrate:
- National Nurse’s Week – begins on May 6, ends on May 12, birthday of Florence Nightingale
- Wildflower Week – week two
- National Bike Week – third week
- National Police Week – third week
- Emergency Medical Services Week – fourth week
The expression “The Merry Month of May” originates in a poem by Thomas Dekker, first performed in 1599.
O, the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!
O, and then did I unto my true love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.O, the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green;
And then did I unto my true love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.
May 11 celebrates the admission of Minnesota to the U.S.
May 23 celebrates the admission of South Carolina to the U.S.
May 29 celebrates the admission of Wisconsin and Rhode Island to the U.S.