May & June Trivia

1. Which Roman goddess inspired May Day celebrations in pre-Christian times?

From Quiz May Day

Answer: Flora

Flora also had a second festival, on the 13th of August, when grain from springtime flowers ripened.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Jefferson Davis

June 3 coincides with the birthday of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee officially recognize June 3 as Jefferson Davis' birthday, but it isn't a paid holiday. Other Southern states have a Confederate Memorial Day on a different day (such as the last Monday in April in Alabama and Georgia) that *is* a paid holiday, with schools and state offices closed.

From Quiz Go Fly a Kite!

Answer: Constitution Day or National Day

Norway's Constitution Day or National Day commemorates the date in 1814 that Norway adopted its constitution. The first celebration was held in 1836 and children's parades became part of the festivities in 1870. Now it has grown to a national holiday celebrated throughout the country.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Flag Day

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the fledgeling USA. Flag Day is NOT a federal holiday, and by an Act of Congress the President must proclaim it every year on June 14 (or not proclaim it at his discretion). Cities and towns hold parades and other festivities on this day. Flag Day's history is convoluted. Pennsylvania was the first State to observe Flag Day, thanks to the efforts of Benjamin Franklin's descendant Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, although Appleton, Wisconsin, claims to hold the oldest continuous National Flag Day parade (since 1950). Groups as different as the Benevolent Order of the Elks and the International Workers of the World also had roles to play in Flag Day's emergence in the early 20th century. New York is an interesting case. In 1889, kindergarten teacher George Balch convinced the the New York State Board of Education to adopt 'Flag Day' on June 14. In 1894, the governor of New York directed that all public buildings display the Stars and Stripes on June 14. By statute, however, Flag Day in New York since sometime in the 20th century has been officially the second Sunday in June. Most New Yorkers don't seem to know that, however, and celebrate Flag Day on or around June 14 just like everybody else in the USA. COINCIDENCE: Two years before Old Glory was adopted, Congress officially espoused "the American Continental Army" on June 14, 1775, so the date is also celebrated by the U.S. Army as Army Birthday.

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: Greek goddess

In fact, Maia appears in both Greek and Roman myths as the goddess of spring.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: National Yo-Yo Day

Donald W. Duncan (1892-1971) not only founded the Duncan Toy Company, maker of its iconic yo-yo, but also the Good Humor franchise and a parking meter manufacturer. The word 'yo-yo' was a trademark until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Duncan v. Royal Tops that the word had become genericized in the English language. Duncan did not invent the yo-yo, however, as it has been in existence for nearly three millennia. At fifty inches (127cm) high and 31.5 inches (80cm) wide, and weighing in at 256 pounds, the world's largest wooden yo-yo sits on display at the National Yo-Yo Museum in downtown Chico, California. It has been demonstrated to actually work!

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: World War II

On 8 May 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies. In the USA it is known as VE Day (for Victory in Europe), but it is not widely celebrated. In France, however, which had been occupied by Germany, it is a grand day of celebration and remembrance with ceremonies and church services. Overhead fly airplanes and down the street march parades. People lay wreaths on monumens aux morts (war memorials). On this national holiday, banks, schools, government offices, shops, and even many restaurants are closed. The day ends with lots of a wine and food. In Reims, Champagne, where Germany signed its surrender, the typical supper is game ham with charouce (a soft white cheese) and, unsurprisingly, champagne.

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: older men

Majores is the Latin word for older men. May was held to be sacred to older men.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Portugal

El Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas ("The Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities") commemorates the death of poet Luís de Camões, a nationalist symbol and a literary icon compared to Shakespeare and Dante, on June 10, 1580. It so happened that on his death King Philip II of Spain claimed the Portuguese throne. Portugal was then ruled by Spanish monarchs during the Iberian Union until 1640, when the Portuguese won the Guerra da Restauração ("Restoration War") and John of Bragança became King John IV of Portugal. Parades, pageants, concerts, and military exhibitions abound on this day, in Portugal and among Portuguese communities around the world. Each year a different city hosts the celebration; in 2016 it was both Lisbon and Paris, the first time two cities hosted at once.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: Anna Jarvis

The story behind this is interesting. Ann Jarvis, the mother of Anna Jarvis, tried to establish a "Mother's Friendship Day" in order to "reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War." She died before she could make it an annual celebration. On June 2, 1872, Julia Ward Howe led a "Mother's Day for Peace" march, which was observed annually for the next ten years before petering out. The temperance movement also failed to generate a national Mother's Day tradition, although many local communities had their own. In 1908, Anna Jarvis with the help of Philadelphia magnate John Wanamaker got an "official" Mother's Day observance going, which was soon adopted in New York. Jarvis then lobbied Congress. Finally in 1914 Congress passed a law, and President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day officially. Anna Jarvis always ignored Howe's efforts or other traditions, however, and claimed Mother's Day was strictly her own invention. In fact, two years earlier in 1912, she had trademarked "Mother's Day" (with the singular possessive spelling). Many countries have adopted the U.S. Mother's Day. Other countries, like the UK, go by the Christian holiday called Mothering Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent. In Mexico, El Día de las Madres is on the second Friday in May, while in Nicaragua it is May 30.

From Quiz May Day

Answer: Spring Day

Volbriöö is celebrated throughout the night of 30 April and into the wee hours of 1 May; "Spring Day" (Kevadpüha), May 1, is a public holiday. Volbriöö night originally stood for the gathering and meeting of witches.

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: hawthorn and lily of the valley

Hawthorn is also known as mayflower. The saying 'Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out' may refer to the flowering of the hawthorn, or it may refer to the month of May. Either way it's time to put away winter clothing!

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: emerald

From Quiz Go Fly a Kite!

Answer: World's Largest Brat Fest in Madison, Wisconsin

The annual brat festival, held on Memorial Day Weekend, has been held in Madison, Wisconsin ever since a local couple fried up brats as a customer-appreciation event in front of their store in 1983. Over the years it has grown to a huge festival centered around an odd, but delicious, locally produced item. Though Wisconsin is known as the dairy state, it also is home to several brat manufacturing companies.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Madagascar

Madagascar was one of the last places on Earth to be inhabited, first by Indonesians, then Arabs and Persians, and then Africans at the turn of the Second Millennium (A.D. 1001). In 1896 the French conquered the native Malagasy people (a mixture of all who had settled before), who peacefully regained their independence in 1960. Independence Day in Madagascar is a grand celebration, with lots of food, drink, and dancing. During 'Hira Grisy', performers in traditional costume sing and dance and tell folk-tales, and sometimes recite poetry. (Did you pick Mauritius? Another African island nation famed for its unique fauna, Mauritius celebrates its independence from the UK on March 12.)

From Quiz May Day

Answer: Lei Day

"Kala mai ia'u" means "excuse me." "Mele Kalikimaka" is the name of the Hawaiian Christmas Song. Don Blanding wrote a newspaper article suggesting that a holiday be created centered around the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing leis. Grace Tower Warren is responsible for the phrase, "May Day is Lei Day."

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: Flora

The special day was on the first of May.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Juggling

The International Jugglers' Association (IJA) brings together jugglers all around the world in an annual festival to honor their skill and dexterity, and to spread fun and joy. In 2016, some nineteen events took place across seven countries as part of the celebration. Founded in 1947, the IJA also run youth workshops, competitions, and other events worldwide. Juggling is an ancient art. Ancient Chinese warriors would intimidate their enemies by juggling swords before them. The earliest depiction of juggling is on an Egyptian tomb dating from c. 2000 B.C.! Funabulism, by the way, is tight-rope walking, and legerdemain is sleight-of-hand (whereas juggling, like bareback riding, is no trick).

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: Teachers' Day

First celebrated in 1918, the date was possibly chosen because in San Luis Potosi every May 15 students would gather to celebrate the birthday of their old teacher Isidore, named after St. Isidore the Laborer. (In Mexico, children are customarily named after the Christian saint commemorated on their day of birth). Colombia also has a Teachers' Day on May 15. On that day in 1950, Pope Pius XII declared San Juan Bautista de La Salle patron saint of teachers, and upon hearing the news the President of Colombia proclaimed the day a national holiday. In Jamaica, Teachers' Day is May 6 (or the first Wednesday). Students and their parents bring gifts, and schools close at lunchtime. National Teacher Day is on Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week in the USA, which is the first full week of May. Not to be confused with World Teachers' Day, which is October 5. Many other nations have their own national Teachers' Day, including Albania (March 7) and Taiwan (September 28).

From Quiz May Day

Answer: Chicago

On May 1, 1886, organizers and workers began agitating for an eight-hour work day. Thousands walked off their jobs. A peaceful crowd gathered on the evening of May 4, and Mayor Carter H. Harrison, instructed police not to disturb the meeting. However, when a speaker urged the dwindling crowd to "throttle" the law, 176 officers under Inspector John Bonfield marched to the meeting and ordered it to disperse. Someone hurled a bomb at the police, killing one officer instantly. Police drew guns, firing wildly. Sixty officers were injured, and eight died; an unknown number of the crowd were killed or wounded. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: maypole

A young girl was chosen to be May Queen. She presided over the day's festiviities which included dancing round a maypole, which was usually erected on the village green. Ribbons of different colour hung from the pole. Dancers took hold of the end of each ribbon, and they danced around the maypole weaving the ribbons together as they did so.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: The 3rd Sunday

Many Western European countries have actually celebrated Fathers' Day on St. Joseph's Day (March 19) since medieval times. In the USA, as it was associated with Roman Catholicism (though Anglicans and Lutherans also observe it), the day was not civically recognized. After Ana Jarvis successfully promoted Mothers' Day in Grafton, West Virginia, the first Father's Day (in reply) took place in Falmont, West Virgina on July 5, 1908. Afterward, many people tried to establish a national Fathers' Day, including Jane Addams, until President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress in 1916 to pass a statute. Congress refused, fearing (presciently) that it would be commercialized. Calvin Coolidge tried again in the 1920s, and in 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation (which has no force of law) designating the 3rd Sunday in June. Congress finally buckled under in 1972 and made the day a permanent national holiday, whereupon Richard Nixon signed it into law. Of course, I use the word 'holiday' loosely as generally nothing is closed that wouldn't be, being on a Sunday, nor on the following Monday. Also note that in the States it is officially (though incorrectly) spelled "Father's Day" rather than "Fathers' Day".

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: Ascension Day

Customs associated with Ascension Day center on worship services. In some places, beans and grapes are blessed, and the paschal candle, which had been lit since Easter, is extinguished. Some churches in England still "beat the bounds", which means that parishioners put chalk marks on the stones that form the boundaries of the parish, and they may hit the stones with sticks. In medieval times this was important because churches often took responsibility for the illegitimate children born within their parish. In Florence, Italy, traditionally a dove would slide down a string to ignite fireworks in front of the cathedral's main entrance. (I do not know what became of the bird.) Germany holds its Fathers' Day on Ascension Day, and in Haiti, Denmark, Madagscar, and many other nations Ascension Day is a public holiday. In some countries, such as the USA, Roman Catholics observe the feast on the Sunday following Ascension Day, also referred to as Ascension Thursday and the Feast of the Ascension. Awkwardly, it is sometimes called Holy Thursday, which is also another name for Maundy Thursday, the Thursday BEFORE Easter. (Confused yet?)

From Quiz May Day

Answer: Law Day

Eisenhower declared Law Day honored "national dedication to the principle of government under law." "Americanization Day" was first observed May 1, 1921, but Eisenhower did not institute the holiday.

From Quiz The Month of May

Answer: Shakespeare

William Shakespeare wrote it in sonnet 18. H.E.Bates used it as a title of a book, 'The Darling Buds of May' which later became a TV series. Catherine Zeta Jones played a part in it.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: Pentecost

Pentecost (which comes from the Greek for "fiftieth") is fifty days after Easter, which means on the modern Gregorian calendar it could fall anywhere between May 10 and June 13. On the first Pentecost, Christians believe, the Holy Spirit descended upon the twelve Apostles, who began to preach. Pentecost is essentially the birthday of the Christian Church, and on that day around A.D. 30 (there is disagreement on the precise year), St. Peter preached a sermon that led to 3000 conversions. The day also coincided with an ancient Jewish festival, the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot (which was also called Pentecost, because it was held 50 days after the first Sunday of Passover). ' Pentecost is also called Whitsunday, especially in Britain, after the white garments worn by the newly baptized. The week following is Whitsuntide, which in the Middle Ages was a mandatory vacation week for English serfs. Generally speaking, Pentecost is celebrated with festive meals, processions, church services, and various local customs. In Italy, churchgoers throw rose petals from the ceilings of churches to replicate the miracle of the fiery tongues of the Holy Spirit which landed on the Apostles. A French custom is to blow trumpets. Many European nations recognize Pentecost Monday or Whit Monday, the day after Pentecost proper, as a public holiday, including Denmark, Germany, Portugal, and Switzerland, and also a few African nations, such as Senegal.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Overturning of anti-miscegenation laws (Loving v. Virginia)

In 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred married in Washington, D.C. After moving to Virginia, they found themselves before Judge Leon Bazile who announced: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix." And he sentenced them to jail, as Loving was white and Jeter was biracial (African-American and Native American), and miscegenation (mixed marriage) was illegal in Virginia. He suspended their sentence in exchange for banishment from the state for 25 years. The case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court, which upheld the couple's right to marry, regardless of race. Ken Tanabe, an American with a Belgian mother and a Japanese father, founded Loving Day in 2004 as part of his MFA thesis project. The day not only honors this landmark case but also the ideas of equality, civil rights, the pursuit of happiness, and personal freedom of choice. Once Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the USA, took office, the movement to make it a federal holiday to salute mixed-race families gained momentum (but to little avail).

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: 2

This has to do with Scotland having a bank holiday on one day, and the rest of the UK having it on another. The first was designated in 1871 as the Whitsun Bank Holiday, or Whit Monday, and could fall anywhere between May 11 and June 14, except in Scotland, where it was ALWAYS the first Monday in May. In 1971 Parliament replaced this with a fixed spring holiday on the last Monday in May in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while Scotland kept its first-Monday holiday. Then in 1978, Parliament added the last Monday in May to Scotland's calendar and the first Monday in May to the remaining countries', and now the whole of UK has two bank holidays. I hope you followed that! In short, there are two public spring holidays in May, the first and last Mondays in May. A good time to be in the UK! In 2002 and 2012, the second bank holiday was moved to June 4 to follow an extra bank holiday on June 3 to honor the Golden and Diamond jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II. Likewise, the holiday was on June 8 for the Silver Jubilee in 1977. A bank holiday, by the way, means a public holiday -- and yes, the banks are closed, and sometimes shops and public attractions. Many people must work during bank holidays, however, but they get extra pay (if specified in their contracts).

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in May!

Answer: Queen Victoria

Canada became confederated into the Dominion of Canada in 1867 under the rule of Her Majesty Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, etc. The holiday is Victoria Day, or Fête de la Reine in French, and colloquially called the May Long Weekend or May Two-Four, a pun on Queen Victoria's actual birthday (May 24) and on a case of beer (24 cans). It is a federal holiday, marked by parades, concerts, and fireworks. At noon in each provincial capital and in Ottawa soldiers fire a royal (21-gun) salute. Many summer businesses, such as resorts, parks, or bicycle renters, open for the season. Canada is the only member of the Commonwealth of Nations to celebrate Victoria Day. (It used to be Empire Day in the UK; now the Brits observe Commonwealth Day in March.) In Quebec, however, since 2003 the day is officially called National Patriots' Day (Journée Nationale des Patriotes), to commemorate the a rebellion of Quebecker patriots (Patriotes) allied with U.S. sympathizers against the British in 1837, called either the Lower Canadian Rebellion or the Patriots' War. (The Patriotes were suppressed.) Before that it was the Fête de Dollard, in honor of Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, a colonist and soldier of New France, as the French colonies in modern-day Canada were collectively called. Concerts, banquets, marches, speeches, and awards ceremonies are among the celebrations.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in June!

Answer: Feast of SS Peter and Paul

St. Peter is considered by Catholics to be the first pope, and St. Paul of course wrote most of the New Testament and was instrumental in spreading Christianity to the Gentiles. ('SS' is an abbreviation for 'Saints'.) The Feast of SS Peter and Paul is a solemnity in the General Roman Calendar, and a holy day of obligation in many countries, including Wales and England (which means church attendance is mandatory), but NOT in the USA or Canada. This feast day is actually quite significant to the ecumenical movement in Christianity, for on this day the Pope (Roman Catholicism) and the Patriarch (Eastern Orthodoxy) hold a joint Mass.

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