In northern hemisphere, May is a month within the season of spring, but in some traditions, like in the Irish calendar, May 1 is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of summer.
In the past, great bonfires would mark the time of purification and transition, heralding in the season in the hope of a good harvest later in the year, and were accompanied with ritual acts to protect the people from any harm by Otherworldly spirits, such as the Aos Si.
In Germany it is an old custom to plant a “tree of May” to honour someone. Often young men set up an adorned birch in front of their girlfriend’s house in the night before May 1.
The County of Nice saw girls and boys “turn the May” with the sound of fife and drum, i.e. to dance rounds of May around the tree of May planted on the place of the village.
Each year, on the second Saturday of May, World Fair Trade Day is celebrated. The main organizer of events is the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) in which 256 fair trade organizations from 60 countries all across the world participate. These are mainly in the particularly disadvantaged countries of the southern hemisphere. The organization’s mission is to promote the trade “based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity.”
No other month starts on the same day of the week as May in common years.
The bird of May is the nightingale.
May’s birthstone is the emerald.
May’s birth flower is the lily of the valley or hawthorn.
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Above:Lily of the valley |
About month of June
The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. Juno is the protecting goddess of marriage and a married couple's household, so it is considered good luck to be married in this month.
Married in the month of roses - June
Life will be one long honeymoon.
June in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.
June marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and the month of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in England.
The traditional June birthstone is the pearl.
The June birth flower is the rose, or the honeysuckle, as roses and honeysuckles bloom throughout June. June is also sometimes called the "Rose month." |
Above: Illustration of a typical Rose |
The longest day of the year is June 21st. In Wiltshire (UK), there is a circle of huge stones at a place called Stonehenge, and hundreds of people go there to watch the sun rise on June 21st. These stones have stood in Wiltshire for thousands of years and no one knows how they got there. They are not local stone and so whoever placed them there had to somehow transport them over several miles.
The middle of summer comes after the longest day and it is a time associated with witches, magic, fairies and dancing in British tradition.
On the eve of Midsummer's Day, many bonfires used to be burnt all over the country. This was in praise of the sun, for the days were getting shorter and the sun appeared to be getting weaker, so people would light fires to try and strengthen the sun.
About Roses
The rose is a legend in its own. The story goes that during the Roman Empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe she also became angry, turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.
The rose is the best-known symbol of beauty and love. Red roses mean I love you. A dozen of them make the ultimate statement on Valentine's Day. A single rose signifies simplicity.
In 1986 Congress voted to make the rose America's national flower.
The rose of Great Britain was the symbol of the Royal Family. As time passed, it became the national flower. |
Above: White Rose 
Above: Yellow Rose |
70, 000 roses went into the making of the world's largest
flower bouquet.
The 23.4 metre arrangement was the
work of Ashrita Furman
“Wherefore art thou rose?” -
In the readings of Shakespeare, of course. He refers to
roses more than 50 times throughout his writings.
1,000 years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose is thought to be. Today it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral of Germany.
Dolly Parton may be known for her music and theme park. But rose lovers know her for the orange red variety bearing her name.
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Above: Rose “Dolly Parton” |
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