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Friday, October 23, 2026
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Library at a glance
259 briefs · 43 iconic · 5 categories · 54 countries
Library by month
259 briefs across the calendar - click a month to filter
Showing 10 briefs for May in this category.
Clear filtersCinco de Mayo - what it actually commemorates and how it is observed in the US vs Mexico
Cinco de Mayo marks the 1862 Battle of Puebla, in which a Mexican militia defeated a French force twice its size. In Mexico it is a regional civic holiday with most activity concentrated in Puebla; in the United States it has become a marketing-driven celebration of Mexican-American identity, food, and drink, often confused with Mexican Independence Day.
Dano - the Korean May fifth festival, where women rest on their husbands' backs and rice wine marks the day
Dano is a Korean festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Labour traditionally pauses, women rest on their husbands' backs, families play yutnori, and everyone drinks makgeolli rice wine - one of the five major holidays of the Korean calendar.
Dragon Boat Festival - Duanwu, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, dragon boat races, and zongzi
Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu) on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is a Chinese festival commemorating the poet-statesman Qu Yuan (ca. 340-278 BC), observed with dragon boat races, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and hanging calamus and mugwort. A 3-day public holiday in mainland China.
May the Fourth - Star Wars Day, the pun holiday born from a London Evening News typo
Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You) on May 4 is a fan-recognised observance of the Star Wars franchise, anchored on a date-pun that circulated in political and tabloid contexts from the late 1970s and became a global commercial event in the 2010s through Lucasfilm and Disney.
Mothers Day - second Sunday of May, Anna Jarvis origin, and how the US observes it
Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May is a US cultural holiday honoring mothers and motherhood. Not a federal holiday. Established 1914. One of the largest commercial gifting events of the US calendar. Originated by Anna Jarvis in 1908.
Sham el-Nessim - the Egyptian spring festival, the Monday after Easter when the Nile goes out and eggs are dyed
Sham el-Nessim is the Egyptian Coptic spring festival held on the Monday after Easter. Families dye and eat eggs, spend the whole holiday at the Nile or the coast, and celebrate the first warm days of spring.
Spring Bank Holiday - the last Monday of May in the UK, what it actually commemorates, and how it differs across Britain
The Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday of May is a UK public holiday distinct from the Early May Bank Holiday. It has no single fixed commemoration; it was created as a movable long-weekend in 1971 and currently falls on the Monday following Pentecost in the liturgical calendar.
Towel Day - May 25, Douglas Adams tribute
Towel Day on May 25 honours the late author Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Towel-carriers are a global fandom tradition since 2001. Not a public holiday.
Beltane - the Gaelic May Day, the fires of purification, and the union of earth and sky
Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival, observed on April 30-May 1 in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. The festival marks the beginning of summer and the union of the Earth Mother and Sky Father, with the lighting of bonfires, the Maypole dance, and the symbolic protection of livestock as they are moved to summer pastures.
Boun Bang Fai - the Lao Rocket Festival, the celebration of the rains, and the rocket competitions of Southeast Asia
Boun Bang Fai (the Rocket Festival) is a traditional Lao festival celebrated in May or June, marking the beginning of the rainy season and the start of the rice-growing season. The festival is observed with the firing of homemade rockets (bang fai), which are believed to encourage the rain gods to send the rains needed for the rice crop.