Rye, Sussex, England : Traditional 'Scrambling for Hot Pennies', date varies, generally until the end of the month.

Wye Dale District, Derbyshire, England : Traditional 'Well-dressing', generally at the end of the month.

Spring Bank Holiday Monday
Kingsteignton, Devon, England : Traditional 'Ram Roasting Ceremony'.

Bampton, Oxfordshire, England : Traditional 'Morris Dancing' (See Mystical WWW Arts : Dance, Morris).

Endon, Staffordshire, England : Traditional 'Well-Dressing'.

Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev
Sikh holiday and festival : (1997 June 9, 1998 May 29).

First or second Saturday
Ickwell Green, Bedfordshire, England : 'May Day Festival' and 'Crowning of the May Queen'.

Second Saturday
Hayes Common, London, England : 'Merrie England May Queens' Festival'.

Last Saturday in May
Drumnadrochit, Inverness, Scotland : Traditional 'Piping and Dancing'.

Summer Months
St. Wenn and district, Cornwall, England : Traditional 'Cornish Wrestling Championships'.

Whit Sunday (+ other dates)
Walsingham, Norfolk, England : Traditional Pilgrimage to the Shrine (Of Our Lady).

St. Briavels, Gloucestershire, England : Traditional 'Bread and Cheese Dole'.

Whit Monday (4-yearly)
Dunmow, Essex, England : Traditional 'Dunmow Flitch Trial'.

Enderby, Leicestershire, England : Traditional 'Selling of the Keep of the Wether'.

Charing, Kent, England : Traditional 'Hooden Horse Display' and 'Morris Dancing' (See Mystical WWW Arts : Dance, Morris).

Cooper's Hill, Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England : Traditional 'Cheese Rolling'.

Lichfield, Staffordshire, England : Traditional 'Court of Array and Greenhill Bower'.

Whit Tuesday
St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, England : Tradition of 'Dicing for Bibles' by local children.

Whitsun Bank Holiday Weekend
Holmfirth, Yorkshire : Traditional Folk Festival (Morris/music/food/entertainment).

Padstow, Cornwall, England : Traditional 'Obby 'Os' Ceremony (See Mystical WWW Arts : Dance, Morris).

Minehead, Somerset, England : Traditional 'Hobby Horse' Ceremony (See Mystical WWW Arts : Dance, Morris).

Oxford, Oxfordshire, England : Traditional 'May Carol' on Magdalen Tower.

Southampton, Hampshire, England : Traditional 'May Carol' at the Bargate.

Knutsford, Cheshire, England : Traditional 'May Day' Ceremonies.

Wicca : 'Beltane' or 'Bright Fire' pagan celebrations, half-way between Midsummer and the vernal equinox. The first day of summer. Focus of the celebrations was courtship and love, and also of mating/fertility, being a time to start new relationships. The bee and the cow are symbolic of the goddess at this time being able to create an endless supply of milk and honey. Oats too are connected with the goddess at this time. The 'Green Man' is also associated with Beltane as are the Goddesses Aphrodite and Maia. Brigid (1 February) and Columcille (7 June) were joint protectors of cattle and it was practice to ask for protection during the periods of Samhain, Imbolc to Beltane:

'Bealtaine' : Gaelic celebrations of 'Fires of Bel'.

Slovakia : day dedicated to 'Kupula', a 'Goddess of Fertility', and 'Poludnitsa', honoured as 'Goddess of the Fields'. Similar in traditions to that of Beltane.

It was traditionally believed in many parts of rural England (UK) that a beautiful complexion could be achieved by collecting dew on this day and gently smoothing it over the face (See February 1 for further information).

Theodor Herzl, Zionist leader, born this day in 1860.

Celtic feast day of 'Gennys', also suggested to be Genesius (25 August).

Celtic feast day of 'Gluvias'. Nephew of Petroc (4 June), and the son of Cadoc (25 September).

Napoleon Bonaparte died on this day on the Island of St. Helena 1821.

Celtic feast day of 'Hydroc', believed to have been associated with the community of Hydroc on Bodmin Moor, England.

Sigmund Freud, psychologist and writer including 'The Interpretation of Dreams' being well known, was born this day in 1856.

Celtic feast day of 'John the Evangelist', the ancient date commemorating the work of the first Patron Saint of Scotland (before St Andrew). Also December 27, John the Evangelist.

Celtic feast day of 'Eadbert', seventh century, a devotee of Cuthbert (20 March), Bishop of Lindisfarne. Died on this day in 698. When Viking raids were frequent upon the British Isles, his remains, together with that of Cuthbert were moved around the country to avoid capture

Celtic feast day of 'The Eve of Indract' : a holy vigil is held on this night for Indract and his companions upon the Somerset Marshes near Polden Ridge to commemorate their martyrdom (See Celtic feast of 'Indract', May 8). Lights are said to be seen to appear on this night at the site of the old church (where Indract was reputedly buried), and on the marshes where he was murdered.

Spring 'Beltane' (Bel, the Sun God), sun at 15 degrees in the house of Taurus (May 5-8). Festivities in ancient times included lighting fires on top of hills across the British Isles to signal to the people 'Bel's' return to bring fertility back to the land, accompanied by the 'Earth Goddess' who would ensure a bountiful harvest. One of four major fire festivals (5-8 May, 2-7 August, 5-7 November, 2-7 February).

World Red Cross Day

Gustav Flaubert, novelist, died on this day in 1880.

Celtic feast day of 'Indract', Irish saint, martyr. (St Patrick was reputed to be buried on the right side of the old church at Glastonbury, whilst Ina, the King of Wessex ordered that Indract's body be buried on the left side of the altar, and that it should be placed in a pyramid of stone). (For more information on Glastonbury see Mystical WWW Glastonbury). The church is reported to have been destroyed in a fire in 1184. Indract was highly revered, particularly in Glastonbury which perhaps explains why this has been suggested to be the place of his burial. The medieval monks of Glastonbury chronicled his life. He is also known for founding a community at Tamerunta, near Plymouth, after he was given a vision of the place. He stuck his staff into the earth and a sacred oak tree sprouted forth. Legend has it that these was an infinite of fish to be found in a pool nearby. It is suggested that he was murdered along with his companions upon the Somerset Marshes near Polden Ridge, and that on this day each year a ceremony is held on the eve of the night before as a holy vigil. The exact place is never the same, as to this day, it is said that there is great difficulty in finding the location of the previous year's ceremony, symbolic of the search for the body of Indract.

Theosophists commemorate the death of Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891). Russian born mystic and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. She died on May 8, 1891.

Celtic feast day of 'Catald', seventh or eighth century monk, Irish, travelled around France and down to Italy.

Celtic feast day of 'Conleth', hermit, sixth century, County Kildare, Ireland. As a highly skilled craftsman he worked with metal and is believed to have made Finbar's crozier (25 September), and also to have been responsible for the creation of the holy vessels used at the monastery established by Brigid (1 February).