Jodie Manson, age 13, of Akron, Ohio, for her question:
HOW DID MAY RECEIVE ITS NAME?
There are two stories on how May received its name. One, and the most widely accepted, reports that May was named for Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and growth. But some scholars say that May is short for "majores," the Latin word for "older men." They believe that May was the month sacred to the majores, just as June was considered sacred to the "juniores," or young men.
In the North Temperate Zone, May is one of the nicest months of the year. The snow and ice `liave melted and summer's intense heat hasn't started. The first garden crops start to sprout this month, the trees and grass are green and many wild plants are in full bloom.
May is a great time for wild flowers in many parts of the United States and Canada. Among the May flowers are jack in the pulpit, anemone, hepatica, forsythia, dogwood and blue, yellow and white violets.
May is also the month when many birds start building their nests. The female birds lay their eggs this month and they will hatch soon.
May has always had 31 days. On the early Roman calendar, May was the third month and March was the first. January and February were the 11th and 12th months. Julius Caesar changed the calendar to begin with January, making May the fifth month.
Even in ancient times, the first day of May was a time for happy outdoor festivals.
In Rome, May 1 fell at a time that was sacred to Flora, the goddess of flowers. The Romans celebrated the first day of May with flower decked parades. The English also celebrated many beautiful May day customs. Maypoles were first erected in village parks in England hundreds of years ago. On the morning of May 1, the village youths went to the woods and gathered Mayflowers, or hawthorne blossoms, to trim the Maypoles. The girls wore their prettiest dresses, each one hoping that she would be selected as Queen of the May.
An important holiday in May is Mother's Day. Falling on the second Sunday of the month, the day is designated to honor the mothers of the world.
The first Mother's Day in the United States was observed in 1907. It was recognized officially by Congress and the President in 1914.
Another important holiday is on the third Saturday of the month. It is Armed Forces Day, a time when the United States honors the men and women of the military services.
In most states there is another important holiday on the last Monday in May. It is Memorial Day, or Decoration Day. It is a legal holiday in memory of those who died in the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Graves of war heroes are decorated with flowers. Memorial Day was first observed in 1868.
And there are two major sporting events in May: the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the U.S., which takes place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the Indianapolis 500, perhaps the most famous auto race in the world, which takes place over the Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis, Ind.