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May (pronunciation) (helpinfo) is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.

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.

The month May has 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. 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).

In both common Western calendrical systems no other month begins on the same day of the week as May. This month and June are the only two months that have this trait though the first day of August in a common year and the first day of October in a leap year are also unique. Furthermore the day of the week in which May begins in one year will be the same day of the week as the following year begins. No other month ends on the same day of the week as May. (See: Months in various calendars) Contents 1 Events in May 1.1 Monthlong events in May 1.2 Weeklong events in May 1.3 May moving events 2 May symbols 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Events in May May from the Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry May Leandro Bassano Rosa chinensis the flower symbol of May 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 Japanese Constitution Day 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 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 12 is William Brunning's Birthday. May 13 is when the Catholic Church honors the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the three children of Fatima Portugal  May 13 1917. 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 (nirvna) and passing away (Parinirvna) of Gautama Buddha. 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 Revolucin 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 Rgime 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 first Monday in May. 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 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.1 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 1963.2 National Moving Month in the United States  recognizing America's mobile roots and kicking off the busiest moving season of the year.3 Zombie Awareness Month4 National Smile Month in the United Kingdom Weeklong events in May

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 1620 2011 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday May 20 2011.5

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.6 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 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 Curaao 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. Third Saturday The Preakness Stakes is run second jewel in the triple crown of horse racing. Last Monday In the United States Memorial Day a public holiday is on May 30 but observed on the last Monday in May. Last Sunday Is Mother's Day in Algeria Dominican Republic France Haiti Mauritius Morocco Sweden Tunisia. Is Children's Day in Hungary. May symbols The Lily of the Valley May's birthstone is the emerald which means love or success. Its birth flower is the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna.7 See also Historical anniversaries May travel guide from Wikitravel References Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: May Look up May in Wiktionary the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: May National Military Appreciation Month 2006 GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress McGuire Holly; Keil Kathryn (2010). Chase's 2010 Calendar of Events. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. http://www.answers.com/topic/national-moving-month.  Zombie Research Society Bike Month Website 1 State History Guide External links v d eMonths and days of the year January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 March 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 June 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 September 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 October 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 November 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Related dates January 0  February 30  February 31  March 0