Quicknation    May

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May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.

May begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Taurus and ends in the sign of Gemini. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Aries and ends in the constellation of Taurus.

The month may have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May.

In old Japanese calendar, the month is called (皐月). It is also a common name for females. In Japan, there is the so-called May sickness, a kind of sickness where new students or workers start to be tired of their new schoolwork or jobs. It is due to a Japanese custom that all schoolyears and fiscal years start on April 1st.

In the pagan wheel of the year May begins on Bealtaine in the northern hemisphere and Samhain in the southern hemisphere.In the Irish calendar May 1 is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of Summer, and a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.In Canada, Victoria Day is observed on the Monday on or before May 24. In Quebec, it is known as Patriots' Day (Towel Day is celebrated in May in tribute to Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.In the American film industry, the first week of May-- that is, between the 2nd and the 8th-- marks the beginning of the summer movie season.On the full moon of May, Vesak is celebrated in many southeast Asian countries, It comemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama.No President of the United States has ever died in May, and May is the only month with this property.