*Ø* Blogmanac May 1| May Day folklore
It's the merrie, merrie month, as the English have long called the beautiful month of May.
Their ancestors, the Anglo-Saxons, called it thrimilce, because at this time of year cows can be milked three times a day. The modern name is thought by some scholars to come from the Latin Maia (consort of Jupiter, mother of Hermes), the goddess of growth and increase. It is also connected with major, because in the Northern Hemisphere, May is a beautiful time of Spring growth.
Despite the congeniality of the month, it was also an old belief that May is an unlucky month in which to be married. This superstition, current even today, is Roman in origin and was mentioned by the poet Ovid. Lovers should wait until the propitious month of June before tying the knot.
Those born in the first three weeks of May were born under the sign of Taurus, and from May 21 to June 21, Gemini is the ruling sun sign. Gemini represents the mythological twins Castor and Pollux, the twins of Leda, who appeared to sailors in storms with fires on their heads ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.
It's the merrie, merrie month, as the English have long called the beautiful month of May.
Their ancestors, the Anglo-Saxons, called it thrimilce, because at this time of year cows can be milked three times a day. The modern name is thought by some scholars to come from the Latin Maia (consort of Jupiter, mother of Hermes), the goddess of growth and increase. It is also connected with major, because in the Northern Hemisphere, May is a beautiful time of Spring growth.
Despite the congeniality of the month, it was also an old belief that May is an unlucky month in which to be married. This superstition, current even today, is Roman in origin and was mentioned by the poet Ovid. Lovers should wait until the propitious month of June before tying the knot.
Those born in the first three weeks of May were born under the sign of Taurus, and from May 21 to June 21, Gemini is the ruling sun sign. Gemini represents the mythological twins Castor and Pollux, the twins of Leda, who appeared to sailors in storms with fires on their heads ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.
Pip Wilson posted item above at 2:12 PM | Permalink
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