May

May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. He has 31 days.

It is named this month - so the testimonies of a number of Latin authors - after the Roman goddess Maia, who on the first day of this month was offering the flamen Volcanalis a victim. The existence of equating this - according to Gellius - altverehrten goddess " Maia Vulcani " (probably to be conceived as " wife of Vulcan " ) with the goddess Bona Dea and Terra - by Macrobius - or Pleiades and the mother of Hermes / Mercurius is unclear; but the etymological association with the root word applies * like (and therefore to growth and reproduction) as safe. Thus, the Maius mensis is included in the original Roman Bauer year. Only a locally revered God " Maius, qui est Jupiter " knows Macrobius. During the reign of Emperor Nero of the month of the name of the emperor, which, however, not put up has been renamed to Claudius. Under Emperor Commodus the month then was called Lucius, in turn, one of his names, even this renaming was reversed after the death of the emperor.

In vorjulianischen Roman calendar was the Maius of the third month, in the Julian calendar, the fifth, each with 31 days.

In the Catholic Church year May is particularly the veneration of the Virgin Mary dedicated ( devotions ), which is why it is referred to in this environment, as Marie moon. The month of May begins with the same week as the January of the following year, but no other month of the same year starts with the same day of the week as May.

The first of May is the international holiday ( in Germany: Public Holiday) of the labor movement. On the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day in German-speaking countries.

Charlemagne introduced the name Wonnemond in the 8th century (actually Old High German " wunnimanot " = pasture month), who pointed out that you could drive the cattle to the pasture again this month. With " bliss " in today's context, the term old name of the month has therefore nothing to do. But there is this misconception at the beginning of the modern era and the NHG. According to German Dictionary of the Brothers Grimm sv WONNE MONTH explains Basilius Faber 1587 [ sic]: " maius of may, a frondibus Carolus Magnus the blissful month, id est mensem amoenitatis olim nuncupavit " ( " maius which may, named after the foliage once Karl the Great the blissful month, ie the month of loveliness ").

From about the 13th century in May is celebrated in Europe with May Day celebrations, whorls and rode in many parts of Germany and Austria, often putting up impressive Maypole is grown Customs, longer even existed festivals such as Pentecost, Beltane or Walpurgisnacht.