Celebrate May and June!
Author: Taelinn Dolivras, May 2012
Let's face it: as a whole, we humans love an excuse to celebrate. However, living in the diverse world that we do, not everyone celebrates the same holidays in all parts of the world, and some holidays that may be at one moment for some is celebrated during a different moment of the year for others. In this article, you will find a sampling of the holidays observed around the world in May and June. In reading it, perhaps you will learn about an occasion that you had never heard of before... but hopefully you will find a new reason to celebrate in the coming months.
- May
The first of May, or May Day, is a public holiday in many parts of the world. It is also known as International Workers Day or Labour Day and is marked by marches and rallies organized by labour unions. However, its original purpose was to celebrate the end of winter, and is still celebrated in this manner in some parts of the northern hemisphere. (Note that Labor/Labour Day is celebrated in March in some parts of Australia, and in September in the US and Canada.)
May 5th brings us two holidays: Cinco de mayo in Mexico and parts of the US, and Liberation Day in Denmark and the Netherlands. The former is a celebration of both the victory of the Mexican army against an invasion by the French near Puebla, and has also become a day consacrated to Mexican heritage and pride. The latter memorializes the end of the occupation of Denmark and the Netherlands by Nazi Germany. May 8th, or Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), is a similar holiday celebrating Nazi Germany's surrender. Both VE Day and Liberation Day are public holidays. A well-known May holiday, Mother's Day, is somewhat of a special case. Though it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the US and Canada, among others, (May 13th in 2012), it is observed in other months in some countries. In fact, in some parts of the world, other days celebrating motherhood have become Mother's Day; in the UK, for example, Mother's Day is celebrated on the day known as Mothering Sunday (March 18th, 2012), a Christian festival originally celebrating the Virgin Mary. Check out the Wikipedia article on Mother's Day for more information.
Two other public holidays are observed in Europe in May. Ascension Thursday, 39 days after Easter (May 17th in 2012), commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and Whit Monday/Pentecost Monday, 49 days after Easter (May 28th in 2012), commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit before the Apostles. Though both holidays are inherently religious, many Europeans are unaware of the origins of these two public holidays, though they are happy to have both days off from work.
In the US, Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May (the 28th in 2012). It began as a commemoration of fallen Union soldiers after the American Civil War and now has grown to encompass all American war casualties. Many people consider Memorial Day to be the beginning of the summer vacation season, with Labor Day marking its end.
Finally, any discussion of holidays and celebrations in May would not be complete without mentioning some of the more weird and wonderful days that occur in this month. You may be disappointed to find that No Homework Day (May 6th) falls on a Sunday in 2012, but you can cheer yourself up by celebrating Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14th.
- June
May was a month full of celebrations, and June seems quieter in comparison. Some countries have a national holiday in June; for example, June 6th is the National Day of Sweden while Portugal Day is celebrated on June 10th. June 14th celebrates Flag Day, the adoption of the flag of the United States on that day in 1777, though it is not an official federal holiday.
The companion day to Mother's Day, Father's Day, falls on the third Sunday in June in many countries (June 17th in 2012). However, just like Mother's Day, this celebration occurs in other months for other cultures. A notable example is Germany, where Vatertag is celebrated on Ascension Day, and many people take the following Friday off work to allow themselves an extended long weekend with their families.
June 20th, 2012, is the first day of summer and the summer solstice is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere under the global name of Midsummer. The exact date depends on the culture, but many contries celebrate by burning large bonfires or dancing around a large maypole.
Finally, June wouldn't be complete without some humourous holidays. Impress your friends with some card tricks on Magic Day (June 12th) or bring your best friend to work on the 22nd for Take Your Dog to Work Day.
And there you have it! On a personal note, it was fascinating to research holidays observed in these two months, but writing the article was a monumental task in itself. Due to the large volume of holidays that take place in May and June, it was impossible to cover them all in one brief article, and in all probability there have been some that have been overlooked. Rest assured, any omission is not intentional!
Be sure to look for the next installment in the series in the July Tar Valon Times!
