May Day and Victoria Day Fun Facts

May Day is the half-year mark in the northern hemisphere, and is often a day of celebration for the arrival of summer.
Source: wikipedia.org

In pre-Christian Europe, May Day was celebrated as the Festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, the Germanic Walpurgis night celebrations and the Gaelic Beltane. When these festivals were banned and Christianized, the better-known traditions of dancing around the Maypole and crowning a Queen of May emerged.
Source: wikipedia.org

In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is celebrated as Mary’s month, so May Day is the Virgin Mary’s day.
Source: wikipedia.org

In some areas of the United States, revelers would make baskets of flowers and sweets and leave them on people’s doorsteps. The person giving the basket would ring the doorbell and run away, and the receiver would have to try to catch them. If they succeeded, they got a kiss. (That sounds a little like nicky-nicky-nine-doors to me.)
Source: wikipedia.org

In England, there is an event on the first Monday of May called the May Day Run, where thousands of motorcyclists ride from London to East Sussex in a giant parade.
Source: wikipedia.org

May Day is also International Workers’ Day, and was chosen over 100 years ago to celebrate the gains of the labour movement such as the eight-hour day, Saturday counting as part of the weekend, better working conditions and child labour laws.
Source: mayweek.ab.ca

Victoria day is a Canadian national holiday in celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday, which was either on May 24th or the 25th if the 24th fell on a Sunday. In 1952, it was changed to the last Monday before May 25th. It also celebrates the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Before it was a national holiday, it was known as Empire Day.
Source: calendar-updates.com

In Quebec, it is celebrated as National Patriots’ Day in honour of the rebellion against the British in 1837. Before 2003, it was known as la Fête de Dollard or Dollard Day in honour of Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, a 17th century soldier.
Source: calendar-updates.com