Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Not just the Maypole - Exciting Events in May

Lots of things are happening in May.
I thought I would share them with you.
(This list comes from information found on Wikipedia. The underlined items can also be found in Wikipedia. The items in bold are the days that are significant to me. The item in red will be of interest to all those sons and daughters and husbands in the United States)

Stone of Cruento is released May 1 (more on this later)
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.
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)
Danger Zone Authors debuts on May 11. (more on this later)
Mother's Day is May 11th this year. It is always the 2nd Sunday in May in the United States.
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.
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.

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