May Day!

May is named for the Roman goddess Maia, who oversaw the growth of plants.

May 1 is May Day. Ancient spring rites that related human fertility to crop fertility

gave birth to most modern May Day festivities.

Traditionally, this was the day to crown the May queen, dance around the

maypole, perform mummers’ plays, and generally celebrate the return of

spring.

In Great Britain, the custom of “bringing in the May” involves gathering “knots,”

or branches with buds, on the eve or early morning of May 1.

Mark the return of spring by bringing in branches of forsythia or lilacs or other

flowering shrubs from your region.

Welcome May by planting a window box with these best bets!

 The Old Farmer’s Almanac

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The 5th month of the year

is an outstanding one

According to the early Roman calendar, May was the third month. Later, the ancient

Romans used January as the first month and therefore, became the fifth month and it

always had 31 days. May was first named for Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and

growth. In the North Temperate Zone, may is one of the most beautiful months of the

year. Usually, the snow and ice are gone by this time but the hot temperature hasn't

arrived yet. In May, the first garden begins to sprout and the wild flowers start to

bloom and the trees and grasses turn green. Wild flowers such as forsythia, dogwood,

violets, and jack-in-the-box bloom and many birds build their nests to sit on the

eggs that will soon hatch.

Below are some fun facts about May: