May

Legends and Lore for May

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May, the fifth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Spring's rule, derives its name from the Roman Springtime goddess Maia, whose divine powers encouraged the growth of crops.
The traditional birthstone amulets of May are the emerald and the agate; and the hawthorne and lily are the month's traditional flowers.
May is shared by the astrological signs of Taurus the Bull and Gemini the Twins, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Artemis, Diana, Faunus, Flora, Pan, and all gods and goddesses who preside over fertility.
During the month of May, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Beltane, one of the four Grand Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.
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May 1
The Beltane sabbath is celebrated by Wiccans and Witches throughout the world annually on this date. Beltane (which is also known as May Day, Rood Day, Rudemas, and Walpurgisnacht) is derived from an ancient Druid fire festival celebrating the union of the Goddess and the Horned God. It also celebrates the rebirth of the Sun, marking the "death" of Winter and the "birth" of Spring. At dawn, morning dew is gathered from grass and wildflowers to be used in mystical potions for good luck. Throughout the day, Nature is celebrated by feasts, games, poetry readings, and clockwise dancing around a brightly decorated Maypole.
In ancient Rome, the deity worshipped on this day was the Spring goddess Maia, whose divine powers encouraged the crops to grow. The month of May is named after her.
On this date in the year 1776, the Order of the Illuminati (an occult sect and secret order dedicated to the study of forbidden books, Tantric mysticism, and ceremonial magic) was founded in Bavaria by Adam Weishaupt.

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May 2
On this date, an annual fertility festival featuring a man wearing the costume of a hobbyhorse, a devilish mask, and a pointed hat is held in England and throughout rural regions across Europe.
Ysahodhara, the consort of the great god Buddha, is honored in India with a sacred festival that takes place on this day each year.

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May 3

In ancient Rome, an annual women's festival in honor of the earth goddess Bona Dea took place on this date. Sacrifices of sows were made to her in order to promote fertility in women, and the unveiling of sacred objects for only women's eyes to see was included in the celebration of her rites.

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May 4
Fairy Day. According to Irish folklore, it is on this day that the mischievous fairy folk emerge from their hiding places. To prevent human children from being stolen by the fairies and replaced by grotesque changelings, an offering of tea and bread must be left on the doorstep for the little people. For protection against fairies while traveling (especially through heavily wooded areas or open fields), wear your coat inside out. This is said to cause them such great confusion that they are unable to cause any trouble.

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May 5
On this date in the year 2000, according to a group called the Lemurian Fellowship, the legendary lost continent of Mu will rise up from the Pacific Ocean.
In various parts of Mexico and Central America, centuries-old rain ceremonies are performed every year on this day by shamanic priests and priestesses of the Old Faith. The ancient goddesses who preside over rain and fertility are honored and invoked with prayers and offerings.

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May 6
On this day in the year 1938, the Long Island Church of Aphrodite was established in West Hempsted, New York, by the Reverend Gleb Botkin, a Russian author and son the court physician to the last Czar of Russia.

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May 7
On this date (approximately), a festival called the Thargelia was celebrated by the ancient Greeks and Ionians in honor of Apollo, the god of the sun, prophecy, music, medicine, and poetry. The festival was held once a year on the sacred island of Delos, the traditional birthplace of Apollo as well as the goddess Artemis.

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May 8
In Cornwall, England, the annual Furry Dance is performed in the streets of Helston on this day in honor of the old Celtic Horned God in the guise of Robin Hood. The festival, which features street dancing and a daylong procession throughout the town for good fortune, is one of the oldest surviving Springtime ceremonies in the world.
Theosophists commemorate the death of Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky on this day, which they call White Lotus Day.

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May 9
An annual rite called the Lemuria was performed on this date in ancient Roman times to appease the restless spirits of the dead (Lemures), who materialized on this day to haunt the homes where they had once lived. The Lemuria was also held on the eleventh and thirteenth of May. As part of the rite, black beans (symbolic of the Underworld) were tossed as offerings to the ghosts and a powerful prayer was recited nine times.

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May 10
The sacred marriage of the god Shiva to the goddess Meenakshi is celebrated annually on this date by faithful followers in Madurai, India. Sacred hymns are sung and offerings of incense and white flower petals are made at all temples dedicated to Shiva.
Tin Hau, the Chinese goddess of the North Star, is honored annually on this day with a festival in Hong Kong.

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May 11
On this date in the year 1659, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned all celebrations of Christmas in the New World after declaring the event to be a Pagan festival of superstition and "a great dishonnor [sic] of God."
In England, Christmas festivities had been banned by the Puritans seven years earlier. It wasn't until the year 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne that the law banning the celebration of Christmas was repealed.

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May 12
On this date, the annual Cat Parade is celebrated in Belgium in honor of the furry feline, an animal sacred to the ancient wiccans and often used as a familiar of Witches.
Aranya Sashti, a god of the woodlands, is honored in India on this day with an annual festival. He is identified with the Pagan honored deities Pan and Cernunnos.

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May 13
On this date in the year 1917, the Goddess in the guise of the Virgin Mary appeared to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal. The event, which was the first of six divine appearances from May 11 to October 13, drew worldwide attention.

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May 14
The Festival of the Midnight Sun is celebrated annually on this date by Pagans in far northern Norway. The festival, which pays homage to the ancient Norse goddess of the sun, begins at sunrise and marks the beginning of ten consecutive weeks without the darkness of night.

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May 15
On this date in ancient times, the Romans performed an annual purification rite consisting of the "sacrifices" of twenty-seven straw puppets to the river god of the Tiber.

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May 16
On this date in the year 1918, famous Italian spiritualist-medium Eusapia Palladino passed away. She was best remembered for her ability to enter a state of trance and levitate during seances.