The Month of May

Lily of the Valley

Throughout the world, May is celebrated as a month of resilience, renewal and tradition. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere The month of May is named after the Greek Goddess Maia, goddess of nature and growing plants and fertility, May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope.

The May birth flowers are Lily of the valley and Hawthorn. With its delicate flowers and sweet scent, lily of the valley is a real favourite of many. The hawthorn means hope, while the lily-of-the-valley symbolizes sweetness or the return of happiness. The tradition of May flowers is that they are placed on the doorsteps of houses and on windowsills. They were believed to offer luck to the house and offer protection from mystical forces. Lily of the valley is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers.

“n’er cast a clout till May is out”. The proverb basically reminds us of our unpredictable our weather is and can change on a daily basis. Bealtaine in Irish is the May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. The Emerald is the birthstone of May and carries the rich green colour of Spring and radiates a beautiful vivid tone and is considered to be a symbol of rebirth and love.

Remember our children especially the ones that are not with us anymore. Light a candle.