May is the fifth month of the year, one of three months of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars and has 31 days. The month of flowers and blooms. In popular perception it is paretymologically associated with sorcery and magic. That is why the admonitions that no weddings should take place in May, nor any serious work in this month (“In May, you should not plant a tree, you should not marry a child” says a Greek proverb).
It was originally the third month of the ten-month Roman calendar (Majus) and was named, according to the prevailing notion, from the Latin Maius, short for Maius mēnsis, “Maia’s month.” But who is this Maia? The Greek goddess Maia was one of the Pleiades, the companions of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, a goddess of fertility that was honored with the sacrifice of piglets on her altar.
This Maia was the mother of Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. But the Romans had yet another goddess named Maia, who just happened to share a name with the Greek goddess.
The Greek goddess became conflated with the Roman Maia Majesta, a goddess of fertility and spring—appropriate for the growth and increase we see in the month of May.
The name May may also come from:
From the Latin word major, which is the comparative degree of the adjective magnus = great. (Plutarch)
From the Latin word majestas = majesty. (Ovid)
From the “majores”, the glorious ancestors of the Romans, to whom it was dedicated.
In Ancient Rome, in the month of May, the Floralia (Floralia), the Roman fertility rites, were celebrated in honor of Flora, goddess of vegetation and spring, the Lemurias (Meilichia), for propitiating the dead. On May Day, the Romans honored the Good Goddess (Bona Dea), with festivals, in which only women participated.
The May holidays in ancient Athens
In the ancient Attic calendar, May corresponded to the second fortnight of the month of Munichia and the first fortnight of the month of Thargilion. During this time in Athens, the following were celebrated: Olympias, in honor of Zeus, with equestrian competitions, sacrifices and meals in the area of Ilissos, Munichia, in honor of the goddess Artemis, on the peninsula of Munichia (today’s Kastela), with mainly teenagers participating. Thargilia, in honor of Apollo, dedicated to the purification of the city from defilimenrt [miasma], which was ensured through purification rites.
Defilers were people who were chosen based on their wickedness, poverty or ugliness. They were paraded as scapegoats through the streets of Athens to absorb the rampant evil and then exiled.
May in folklore
Although May is generally considered to be the last month of Spring, it is actually the middle of this flowering season since Summer does not begin until twenty days after the end of May, on June 21. May is indeed “a month of joy and worship of flowering vegetation, with beliefs and customs of a timeless nature”, such as the traditional custom with the May Day wreath that decorates the door of homes until June 24, when it is burned in on bonfires for the feast of St. John.
Popular superstitions consider May “enchanted” so weddings and serious work are avoided during it, hence the proverb “In the cursed place, it rains in the month of May”. All peoples, however, on May Day celebrated the flowering of Nature and the beginning of “good times”.
And while popular proverbs, such as, “My May, cool May and blooming April” and “May has a name and April flowers”, try to recall us to order, childhood memories do not allow us to do so. And so we continue to sing: “May has arrived/step forward quickly/to welcome it/children in the countryside”
Latest News
Critical Week for Greece-Cyprus Cable
The study concluded that the social benefits of the interconnection, totaling 8 billion euros, far outweigh its 1.9 billion euros construction cost, resulting in a net social benefit exceeding 6 billion euros.
Roberta Metsola Re-elected President of European Parliament
Her second term will be for a period of two and a half years
ELSTAT: 1.5% Increase in Business Turnover in May 2024
The most significant increase in turnover in May 2024 compared with May 2023 was recorded from the enterprises of the Accommodation and Food Service Activities, sector which grew by 14.8%.
Cosco: Container Traffic Decline at Piraeus Port Continues
This strategic shift has diminished Piraeus's standing as a prominent Mediterranean port and a key transshipment hub post-Suez Canal.
Gov’t Eyes Return of Power Subsidies Amid Spike in Rates
According to reports, the government will resume an electricity subsidization program, given that forecasts cite disruptions – i.e. higher rates
ELSTAT: 6.3% Increase in Output Price Index for Agriculture and Livestock
The 6.3% rise in May 2024 is largely driven by an 8.8% increase in the crop output group, particularly due to changes in olive oil prices, and a 0.5% increase in the animal output group.
Balkans Blackout Highlights Climate Threats to Power Grids
The surge in electricity demand during the heat wave and the power deficit in Balkan markets have driven up prices in the Greek wholesale electricity market.
Greece in Top 4 Destinations Favored by European Tourists
Greece was selected by 5.9% of respondents who were asked where they would vacation this year, up from 5.4% in the same survey last year
Scope Affirms Greece’s BBB- Ratings; Revises Outlook to Positive
The international ratings firm raised Greece to investment grade in early August 2023
First Seaplane Test Flights to Skopelos, Alonissos, Skyros
After decades of on-again, off-again efforts to schedule regular seaplane routes to Greece's numerous island and coastal destinations the prospect now appears within sight