May is the fifth month on both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. May is spring in the Northern Hemisphere but in the Southern autumn. It is also the month that is the transition for many towards summer at the end of the month. Many schools plan graduations during this time and weddings are popular as well. May Day (May 1) was originally a day in old Russia for picnic in the countryside or in a park in the early days of May.

There are many days in May set aside for religious observance on the Christian calendar. Other events include Star Wars Day (4 May), Cinco de Mayo (5 May), Mother’s Day (US) on second Sunday of May, various Liberation Days to celebrate the end of Nazi occupation, and Memorial Day (US) on last Monday of May.

Symbols for May are:

• Emerald-Love and success (May birthstone)
• Flowers: Mayflower, Lilly of the Valley, and Hawthorn.
• Zodiac signs for May are the Taurus (till May 19) and Gemini (May 20 onwards)