May, the fifth month of the year, but one of seven months with 31 days
May, spring in the northern hemisphere, but autumn in the southern hemisphere – making May and November as seasonal equivalents
May, with no other month beginning or ending on the same day of the week as May
The month May was named for Maia, a Roman goddess
Late May, being the official start of the summer vacation season in the US and Canada
May, with its symbols
- Birthstone: emerald
- Birth flower: Lily of the Valley signifying sweetness, humility, and return to happiness
- Zodiac: Taurus (until May 21) and Gemini (May 22 and into June)
May moon
- Called Egg Moon, Grass Moon, and Hare Moon
- Full Moon May 4th 3:43 UTC
- New Moon May 18th 4:13 UTC
May, with national celebrations in Armenia, Canada, Eritrea, Japan, Mexico, Norway, United States, and the UK
May, with many countries celebrating May Day & Mother’s Day, plus Europe celebrating victory over the Nazis in World War II
May embraces Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage, chip your pets, creative beginning, Haitian heritage, audits, Mediterranean diets, Jewish-American heritage, guide dogs, meditation, military appreciation, moving, preservation, older Americans, personal history, preparing tomorrow’s parents, Social Security education, South Asian heritage, date your mate, and recommitment.
May increases awareness in ALS, APS, arthritis, asthma & allergies, medical orphans, brain tumors, celiac, cystic fibrosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, fibromyalgia, Huntington’s disease, homeschooling, lupus, melanoma & skin cancer, hepatitis, neurofibromatosis, preventing osteoporosis, physiotherapy, Prader-Willi Syndrome, pet cancer, toddler immunization, chemical injury, Tay-Sachs & Canavan diseases, Tourettes Syndrome, borderline personality disorder, high blood pressure, Lyme disease, stroke, preeclampsia, and ultraviolet rays & skin cancer.
May celebrates wetlands, clean air, community living, drums, Freedom Shrine, gifts from the garden, golf, Victorian women, Latino books, barbeque, bikes, eggs, hamburger, inventors,
pets, photos, salads, salsa (the food), strawberries, asparagus, beef, chocolate custard, and drinking water.
May promotes global civility, better hearing & speech, building safety, ecodriving, family wellness, gardening for wildlife, getting caught reading, global health & fitness, food drives for homeless animals, heal the children, healthy vision, Oregon wines, business image improvement, motorcycle safety, foster care, good car keeping, mental health, physical fitness & sports, service dog eye examinations, water safety, Finger Lakes wines, youth traffic safety, revising your work schedule, spiritual literacy, women’s health care, reacting, and respect for chickens.
Any celebratory occasions in your life during May? What songs did you listen to in this post? Have a wonderful month of May.
May means hubby and I go on our first camping trip of the year in the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park at the end of the month. I love May.
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Catherine,
I recall your camping ventures into the wild … enjoy!
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Do you ever go through Algonquin Park and “call the wolves”?
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That we have not done, but I’m sure I’ve heard them while in the backcountry.
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It is quite something! We inadvertently passed through at that time and were forced to stop and listen. People came from miles away to be there!
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“Europe celebrating victory of the Nazis in World War II” Shouldn’t it be “victory over the Nazis”, or has Europe really tilted that far to the right recently? 🙂
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X,
Whew … thanks for that one! Corrected.
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And May is my middle name. Only it’s spelled ‘Mae’ so that probably doesn’t count…
I love May. Winter is far enough behind us that I no longer have to worry about it for months. As always, I enjoyed reading your well-researched words, Frank. 🙂
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Carrie.
Noting Mae works for this post because the musical producer doesn’t control this post. Although winter may seem behind us, we will end the month closer to next winter than we are today. 😉
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Oh you Debbie Downer, you. 😉
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May May maybe be magical 🙂
((say that 5 times!!))
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Christy,
I couldn’t do it … many thanks. 🙂
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May is wonderful here. The trees are all blooming and it is magical.
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Elyse,
The trees are a blooming, and soon, they will be filled with leaves, thus bringing shade!
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And it will be so sunny we will all need shades.
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You would probably guess I especially enjoyed Peter, Paul and Mary. ( I stopped listening to popular music around 1973, so I often don’t get into your choices, though I still know the words to most songs of the 19th and 20th century before that.)
Yesterday, for some strange reason, its being May Day around the world, I decided to google the word “mayday” which is a universal radio distress signal. Apparently it came into use in the 1920’s between the British and French ships. They thought “help” wasn’t so useful because it could be used in ways other than distress…so they adopted from the French call for help the word “m’aider” (help me) which then became “mayday”—-the same pronunciation.
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Cynthia,
Fabulous info about Mayday … so thanks for researching and sharing. As I like to say, everything has a history.Meanwhile, glad you enjoyed Peter, Paul, & Mary …. but keep in mind that Julie London was within your time frame.
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PS: You also enjoy The Chieftains song … very different.
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Yes, I do enjoy The Chieftains, as a group…though those endless Irish sagas sung solo
a cappella can wear on the nerves. Julie London turns some people on…not me. Anyway, you have a nice variety here! 🙂
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A wonderful May to you too, my dear Frank!
What a tribute! 🙂
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Marina,
Always fun for me to do, including the challenge of finding fitting music.
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Frank my May bloom in all her glory.. May is my Month.. 🙂 wishing you a joyful month.. Hugs Sue x
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Sue,
I’m sure your flowers are glorious and the garden is growing quickly … both causing you to smile!
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This May I will celebrate the second Mother’s Day without my mom. Lily of the Valley was her favorite flower. ❤ Mom, I love you!
I listened to The Bee Gees, Julie London & Peter, Paul & Mary.
Well, think I'll go have a "Puff the Magic Dragon"
Thanks for the lovely post, Frank!
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Resa,
You listened to some good songs. Thanks for sharing about your mom, and peace to you on Mothers Day.
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Don’t forget Cinco de Mayo! (Well I guess you did mention Mexico in passing.) Cinco de Mayo gets a lot of attention in my area, perhaps because there are a significant number of Mexicans around or (more likely) because it gives people an excuse to party. I once had a boss who called it Stinko de Mayo because of the after effects of so many people eating refried beans, chili beans, etc in their Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
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LB,
You are correct, that I did mention it in passing with the Mexico reference, but I actually didn’t miss it because the listed celebrations are month-long events, whereas Cinco de Mayo is a day … and since it is Tuesday, it will me mentioned on the next Monday Morning Entertainment post that lists the one-day events Monday through Thursday.
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My firstborn’s birthday was May 25 and my father died May 23 ~ the two dates so close to each other is almost ironic… every single time Dad found a penny on the ground, he would say it was a penny from heaven…
In May things really start coming alive in this neck of the woods; yes, it starts in April but let’s face it, there has been more than one snowstorm in April!
Loved the Chieftains’ song. Whoa Julie! Quite the osé calendar… when women were women!
Bee Gees… you can never fail with the Bee Gees…(I had such a thing for Barry, especially in the Saturday Night Fever days… weird to think he’s the last one left of the four brothers – I am including Andy)
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Dale,
Thanks for sharing two significant dates from two different ends of the spectrum … but cheers to the oldest! 🙂 Meanwhile, May does bring life abound!
Thanks for listening to the songs. Interesting how each of them touches us in different ways.
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Indeed! It’s all part of life, eh?
The oldest? What mean you?
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The oldest = your first born.
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Yeah…he would have been 19 this May…
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Indeed! It’s all part of life, eh?
The oldest? What mean you? If you are talking about my firstborn, he is no longer with us…ergo the pennies from heaven…
All that to say yes! May is life!
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Oh wow … now I see the impact of those two dates.
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Yes. Sorry for the confusion. That said, I still love May 😉
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It’s May! It’s May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev’ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
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Tim,
May is blissful, and time to start preparing the marching band show for the upcoming season.
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The best month… full of anticipation of summer, and far away from winter. I’ve not lost a day of summer yet but it’s warm and it’s sunny, and this is perfect.
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Trent,
Personally, I prefer the warmth of spring over the heat of summer because I hate high humidity. Oh well … it goes with the territory. Cheers to May!
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May is such a beautiful month – loved reading your post. For me it always spells a new beginning with much hope and promise. Being a Gemini, May hold special meaning.
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Forgot to mention, all the best to you for a wonderful May. And, hey congrats on getting the sub for golf.
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Mary,
Hooray for May being your birthday month! 🙂 Party time!!!
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Thank you Frank – I embrace each year as it comes, there is something very liberating with each b-day!
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I like to think, another year older, another year smarter.
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Thanks for all the wonderful music, Frank. May is the month before it gets way too hot here. We have only a few more reasonable weeks ahead! I can hardly believe it’s already May.
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Amy,
For some, the transition into summer isn’t fun … so hang in there … On the other hand, hot is hot, but hot with humidity is a different matter … and oh do I hate the later – thus I would have a difficult time leaving in places as Houston, New Orleans, and other places in the southeastern US.
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Hot with humidity….yeah, that’s the worst!
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Miserable … simply miserable. I though we get it bad here, but it was nothing like the time I was in Houston during August!
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We have so many family birthdays in May it’s almost a burden. LOL! My youngest granddaughter announced to the family on the 1st, “Today is the first day of my birthday month!” She’s my favorite May birthday girl. I love Julie London and the Bee Gees, but didn’t know either one of these songs! I love collecting new musical material, so thanks for that!
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Debra,
Lots of birthdays means you will be busy because I’m confident you don’t let them slide by. Meanwhile, Oh Boy to the birthday month announcement. 😉 … I think someone is anticipating a celebration! Glad you enjoyed the music … quite the variety in this one.
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The BG’s clip was pure nostalgia and with two brothers, a charming departure from the norm. Can you believe it, I had never heard it before. I was probably deployed when it was popular. Wonder what else I missed?
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Jim,
Interesting point about what one misses during a deployment. Unless experienced as you have, those of us who haven’t wouldn’t know. Thanks for sharing.
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I love those month post, great idea
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Alchimaer,
Welcome to my little corner of the world. Glad you enjoyed this, which is fun to gather. On the negative side, it’s probably the last of the series because I’ve done the others. See the other posts by visiting the sidebar > Categories > Salutes > To Months.
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Yes I’m discovering them right now, I’m sure you have lots of other categories I’ll enjoy too. Have a great day
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My categories are wide ranging, so there’s something for everyone.
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