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| Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Father of the Mexican Nation (Wikipedia) |
Note: Three very different birthday celebrants: Mexican Founding Father Miguel Hidalgo; longtime Malawian leader Hastings Banda; and the Irish monk-explorer Saint Brendan.
Get Ready: Do you accept the common idea that Columbus was the first European to come to what is now called North America? Why or why not?
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| A Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S. (Wikipedia) |
Note: May plays host to everything from the Mexican fiesta of Cinco de Mayo to the silly Star Wars Day, as well as Russia's end-of-school celebration, "The Last Bell."
Get Ready: How do you (or did you) celebrate the end of the school year?
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| Christ's Ascension (Wikipedia) |
Note: Forty days after Easter comes the Feast of the Ascension, commemorating Jesus's ascent into heaven; ten days after that is Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit founded the church.
Get Ready: Can you think of any expressions or events that depend on the significance of the number 40?
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| Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day (Wikipedia) |
Note: Traditionally, America's "summer social season" (not summer itself) began on Memorial Day at the end of May and ended with Labor Day at the start of September.
Get Ready: When do you recognize the sacrifices of those who died for your country? What do you do to recognize their importance?
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| Church where the first Mother's Day service was held in 1908 (Wikipedia) |
Note: The official recognition of Mother's Day in the U.S. was long in coming. But today, nearly half of the world's 175 celebrations use approximately the same date!
Get Ready: When do you celebrate Mother's Day? What do you do to recognize the importance of mothers?
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| Maypole dancing in the U.K. (Wikipedia) |
Note: There seems to be some connection between May Day--the ancient beginning of the northern hemisphere's summer--and honoring the labor of workers.
Get Ready: When do you celebrate Labor Day? What do you do to recognize the importance of workers?
