May 1. Baltain (Wicca) By the way the Gaelic or "Irish" for May is
Bealtaine / May Day (International) / - 4 Green Corn Dance (Zuni)
welcoming back the Corn Maidens, who flee the land during the Winter./
International Workers Day. What May Day has become in many parts of the
world, in Russia however they have taken to calling it Labor & Coming
of  Spring Day. / Giorno dei Lavoratori (Italy) / National Love Day
(Czech Republic)  Couples go to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek
Mácha in Prague and kiss. / Lei Day (Hawaii)  / Law day & Loyalty
day (U.S.) / Day in 1776 that the Order of the Illuminati of Bavaria was
formed by Adam Weishaupt (1748 - 1811) /

According to Ronald Hutton in Trumpet of the Moon, it was this day in
1947 that Gardner (founder of modern Wicca) had the first of four May
meetings with Aleister Crowley, where he bought a number of books, and
was recommend by him to be made a 4th degree initiate of the O.T.O.

May 2. Second day of Labor Day (Bulgaria, Slovenia, & Romania) /
Teacher's Day (Iran) / Kite Flying Day (Japan)

May 3. International Day of Prayer, day to pray for freedom of
expression, freedom of religion, and separation of religion and
government throughout the world./ Rice Planting Festival (Shinto) /
World Press Freedom Day / Holy Cross Day (Catholic) / It was 68 years
ago that Batman (then called The Bat-Man) premiered in Detective Comics
# 27.

May 4. International Firefighters' Day. / Remembrance of the Dead. (The
Netherlands) that's the Netherlands NOT the Nether World. / Youth Day &
Literary Day (People's Republic of China) / Day in the Roman Empire on
which an all-female festival was held in honor of Bona Dea. / It was on
this date that Manhattan island is sold in exchange for $24 in cloth &
buttons in 1626. That's the story anyway, but who used dollars as a
designation of cost back then? Anyway the bit they always fail to add
about this tale is that the fellow who took the cloth & buttons didn't
even live on the Island (must of been from Jersey) and was just there to
fish, no doubt he was glad to take it from the suckers however.

May 5. Cinco de Mayo (Mexico) / Children's Day (South Korea) /
International Midwives Day / International No Pants Day / Tango no Sekku
"Boy's Day" (Japan) / Free Comic Book Day (U.S., Canada, U.K.)
Participating comic shops give out free comic books as a promotion.

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/sponsors.asp

May 6. Corregidar Day (Philippines) / Radio Day (Russia ) / Bulgaria -
Radio and Television Day / National Masturbation Day (U.S.) But only as
declared by Good Vibrations a sex toy business, but they have been
trying to pull it into existence for over 11 years now. / Beverage Day
(U.S.)

May 7 Pilgrimage of St. Nicholas (Italy)

May 8. Parent's Day (South Korea) / V-E Day. Germany surrenders in 1945.

May 9. Lemuria (Ancient Rome) First day of a 3-day holiday when it was
thought that the spirits of the dead returned to their old homes. /
Lunalia (Fairy Wicca) festival for the Lady of Light. / Orgasm Day
(Esperantina, Brazil) Started by the mayor of that town about a two
years ago when he read that only 28%% of sexually active women have
orgasms. / Coca Cola is 110 years old today. / Joan of arc canonized
1920, say what? I thought they burned her at the stake and a lot longer
before 1920 too? Ohhhhh! The other kind of canonizing.

May 10. Day for Matsu, Goddess of the Sea (Taiwan) / Vesak Day
(Singapore, Malaysia) a day, which is observed on different days in
different counties or different sects of Buddhism, commemorates the
enlightenment & entry of the Buddha into Nirvana. / Akshaya Tritya 
(Hindu) / Astronomy Day (U.S.) / Birds' and Trees' Day (Hungary) /
Celebration of the Clandestine Retreat of Ma'at and Ra (Ancient Egypt) /
Confederate Memorial Day (North & South Carolina) / Mania (Ancient Rome)
/ Ploughing Ceremony (Thailand) / Tin Hau's Day (China) / Tori no Mawari
starts "Bird Week" (Japan) / Tritopatores (Ancient Greece) / and Happy
Birthday Homer Simpson! Originally in 1955, now around 1969 and marching
forward year after year.

May 11. It was on this day in 1659 that the Massachusetts Bay Colony
banned the "pagan" holiday Christmas.

May 12. Independence Day (Israel)

May 13. Mother's Day / Leprechaun Day (U.S.) Like St. Paddies Day wasn't
enough? Or is this day for the protestant Leprechauns?

May 14. Carabao Festival (Spain)

May 15. It was during the ides of May that the Vestal virgins preformed
rites to bless and entice the water for the coming Summer. / Teacher's
Day (South Korea) / National Chocolate Chip Day (U.S.) / Mercuralia
(Ancient Rome) Held in honor of Mercury / Peace Officers Memorial Day
(U.S.) / Dia del Maestro "Teacher's Day" (Mexico) / Feast of Ochossi,
Orisha of Animals (Santeria) / Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse! 1928.

May 16. International Pickle Day / Wear Purple For Peace Day  /
Teacher's Day (Malaysia) / - 19 Strawberry Ceremony (Iroquois) /
Middlesex Day. (Britain) To quote from the old cartoon of two children,
a boy and girl, talking "I forget are you the opposite sex or am I?" As
for which is the middle sex I will not dare a guess.

May 17. Ascension Day (Christian) / International Day Against Homophobia
or IDAHO.

May 18. Festival of Pan (Ancient Greece) / Festival of Faunus (Ancient
Rome) / Remembrance day for Moses de Leon (Kabbala) a day for Pan and a
Kabblistic mystic, now you know what Madonna is going to be doing today.

May 19. Pilgrimage to Treguier (France) / Feast Day of Brigid (Celtic)
During which sacred wells and springs were adorned with flowers.

May 20. Pardon of the Singers (Britain) / Feast of Aphrodite and Eros
(Ancient Greek) From sundown till sundown tomorrow.

May 21. Victoria Day (Canada) / Vesak Day (South Korea)

May 22. Immigrant Day (Canada) / Heroes Day (Sri Lanka) Save the Sri
Lankan cheerleader, save the world. / First Reported modern sighting of
the Lock Ness Monster (1933,) Whom some say is not a real living
creature but is instead a shape shifting phantom that was released due
to the activities of Alister Crowley at his Scottish home of Boleskine
on the shores of Lock Ness. / First reported sighting of Mister Roger's
Neighborhood 1967. Not even the wildest conspiracy buffs say Crowley had
anything to do with that.

May 23. Feast Day of Hermes Trismagistus (Hermes the thrice blessed)
patron of alchemists. / Waisak Day (Indonesia) Day when the birth, death
& enlightenment of Buddha is celebrated in Indonesia./ Declaration of
the Báb (Bahá'í Faith ) / Penny Day (U.S.)  / Shavuot (Jewish)
Feast of First Fruits.

May 24. National Escargot Day (U.S.)

May 25. Trust in the Force Day (somewhere probably) In 1977 the film
Star Wars is released, as there are now more people in England saying
they are Jedi than there are people saying they are Jewish, Buddhist or
Sikh I guess that makes this a religious holiday. / Africa Day (
Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.) / Towel Day, which I'm told is "celebrated"
worldwide, as well as, I assume, the Restaurant at the End of Time. /
Happy Birthday Goofy! 1932.

May 26   National Sorry Day  National Sorry Day (Australia)

May 27 St. Augustine of Canterbury's Day.

May 28. Memorial Day (U.S.) Observed. / National Hamburger Day (U.S.)

May 29. Oak Apple Day (Fairy Wicca)

May 30. Memorial Day (U.S.) Actual / The day in 1431 that Joan of Arc
was burned at the stake, not shot out of a canon like they seem to have
thought earlier in the month back in 1920

May 31. National Macaroon Day (U.S.) / International No Tobacco Day. Eat
a macaroon instead, see we're just trying to help. / Our Lady, Queen of
Heaven (Catholic)

For images and future reference go to
May:

http://community-2.webtv.net/magentashadow/and_Holidays/

Terry McCombs