Known in Britain as the National Smile Month, May is the door to summer, and with it comes beer-gardens, BBQs, and kick-a-bouts at the park – a good reason for anybody to smile.
May is a pretty unique month as during any given year no other month will start and end with the same days that May does.
It was called Tri-Milchi by the Anglo Saxons for the knowledge that lush, green grass lead to milking cows three times a day!
However, May was originally named after Maia, the Greek Goddess of Fertility, and this month celebrates the products of fertility with Baby Day on the 2nd of May.
But past Baby Day May sure holds some real gems in the special calendar, including one of my personal favorites – Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day!
Here are many wacky and crazy days in May so let’s get started with…
Also, if you want to find out what events happened on each day in history in May, then click the link on the dates.
1st May – Batman Day.
The caped crusader made his first appearance on the 1st of May 1939 in Detective Comics Issue #27, which means that today Batman is 83 years old!
So today don your cape and mask and become the symbol your city needs.
2nd May – Baby Day.
Yup, today is Baby Day. They’re pink, squishy, noisy, and occasionally cute. But more importantly they’re the next generation.
They’re not really great at doing anything now, but give them a little time and they could be the world’s next genius.
3rd May – Two Different Colored Shoes Day.
After becoming tired of the monotony and routine of day-to-day life, Dr Arlene Kaiser created Two Different Colored Shoes Day, which has become a day of celebrating the courage taken to step outside your routine.
It’s also a great excuse to be your normal, quirky and colorful self in a gray corporate world.
4th May – Star Wars Day.
Go without saying, this one should, but say it for you I will. May the fourth be with you.
Today is the day that all wings report in, that Order 66 is executed, the day that there is an awakening in The Force.
Kick back and enjoy a great excuse (as if you need one) to watch something – anything – Star Wars. Just keep your lightsaber handy, you never know when you’ll need it.
5th May – Cartoonists Day.
This day celebrates the first-ever publication of a cartoon, The Yellow Kid by Richard F. Outcault, in 1895.
Since all those years ago cartoons have seeped into our lives through every media outlet possible.
If it weren’t for The Yellow Kid all those years ago we probably wouldn’t be watching Iron Man and Captain America slugging it out on the big-screen.
6th May – Beverage Day.
This day celebrates the humble beverage. The lush liquid with which we wash down our meals.
For me, Beverage Day is all about that first beer-garden beer, but for you it can be about any beverage you’d love to gulp down.
7th May – Roast Leg of Lamb Day.
Crispy, brown, and crusted in aromatic herbs, a leg of lamb is a wonderful thing when roasted.
Today is an easy day to celebrate and a tasty one too!
8th May – No Socks Day.
Today is day all about freedom of movement… for your toes.
That’s right people, ditch the socks, go barefoot, and feel the freedom of the wind upon your feet.
9th May – Lost Sock Memorial Day.
What a perfect day to follow, No Socks Day. Today we spare a thought for the fallen brothers of our sock drawers and those lonely single socks sitting there without their companions.
Missing socks, you are gone but not forgotten.
10th May – Stay Up All Night Day.
On the surface of it all, this day is about rebelling against sleep, capturing your youth, and pulling a legendary all-nighter.
But it’s worthwhile thinking of those who have no option but to stay up all night: the taxi driver who takes you home in the early hours of the morning, the clerks at the 24-hour corner shop, and the doctors treating patients until the rise of the dawn.
11th May – Eat What You Want Day.
For some of us, this is every day. But for those who are always counting calories and stressing about diets, today is the day just to forget about all of it and eat what you want.
Just go all out: burgers, chips, cookies, and milkshakes – eat them all!
12th May – Limerick Day.
Named after the Irish town of Limerick,
This type of rhyme is as solid as brick,
Today we celebrate,
It’s really great,
The humble rhyming Limerick.
I tried, okay?
13th May – Leprechaun Day.
They’re tiny, green, Irish, and they’re guarding that magical pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow.
So if you’re out and about today and you see a rainbow you better get chasing it – because there’s no doubt that the Leprechauns are sat on that gold waiting for you!
14th May – Dance Like A Chicken Day.
Dance Like A Chicken Day was created in the 1950’s by Swiss Accordion player Werner Thomas and originally called “The Duck Dance”, no wedding or school disco is complete without a good old Chicken Dance.
So bust out your chicken-moves and get in chicken-shape for the summer!
15th May – Chocolate Chip Day.
You get them in pretty much anything sweet and baked – muffins, cookies, brownies – chocolate chips have lived in the desert world ever since making their appearance first in cookies in 1937.
So grab a cookie, muffin or brownie and enjoy the divine power of the chocolate chip!
16th May – Sea Monkey Day.
If you don’t know what a Sea Monkey is, then it’s probably safe to say you grew up in the digital age.
Developed in 1957 one year after the popularisation of Ant Farms, Sea Monkeys were sold everywhere as the “instant pet” that you’d take home in a powdered form, put into water, and then sit back and watch as they swam around like crazy!
So there’s no better way to celebrate then getting yourself a packet of Sea Monkeys and watching them come to life in front of your very own eyes.
17th May – Pack Rat Day.
This is a day that celebrates our inner-hoarder, and encourages us to give a second thought to throwing away things that might seem like rubbish – as you never know whether or not they’re hidden treasures.
18th May – No Dirty Dishes Day.
As I write this whilst looking over at the pile of dishes needing to be done, I can’t help but wish today way the 18th of May.
Today is a day that’s all about going 24 hours without washing your dirty dishes.
So let them pile up in style to celebrate No Dirty Dishes Day!
19th May – May Ray Day.
Today is all about celebrating the first rays of summer.
Go to a park for the day or have some friends over for a BBQ – just make sure you soak up those May Day Rays today… unless it’s raining!
20th May – Pick Strawberries Day.
Today, much like the day before is a day all about celebrating the coming of summer.
As everybody knows, with summer comes the re-emergence of “Pick Your Own” fruit farms, the king of which is by far the ‘Pick Your Own’ Strawberry farms.
So today get outside, find your local PYO, and enjoy the heavenly delights of the most delicious fresh-picked, local fruit.
21st May – Rapture Party Day.
This is a day that’s all about living life as though the world was about to end.
For some of us that might mean partying until you drop, whereas for others it might mean a simple day on the couch watching your favorite films and eating your favorite junk-food.
Regardless of what it means to you make sure you live this day as though it was your last day on Earth – because you never know, it very well might be!
22nd May – Goth Day.
Goths are kind of like the Sith of the fashion world. They gravitate towards the dark side and enjoy black clothing.
Why not dress up in your darkest black clothes and embrace your inner Goth today.
23rd May – Turtle Day.
I think I speak for just about everybody when I say that I like turtles!
Today is a day for celebrating these wonderful creatures that have lived on our Earth in one way or another for 220 million years!
A great way to celebrate is to get online, find out some cool turtle facts and tell them to your friends. Like this one: did know that turtles can breathe through their butts?
24th May – Brother’s Day.
Today is about the bond between brothers, and cherishing that bond and celebrating just how special it is.
Over the years there have been many famous brothers including the Kennedy brothers and the Wright Brothers.
So today give your bro a call and tell him just how much he means to you.
25th May – Towel Day.
This day acts as a tribute to author Douglas Adams, who wrote famed novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
It’s a rather easy day to celebrate and it’s done by taking a towel with your wherever you go, be it work, school, or just to the shops.
The only thing that’s important on this day is that you don’t forget to bring a towel!
26th May – Blueberry Cheesecake Day.
I am a guy with a sweet-tooth, so I can’t deny blueberry cheesecake the honour it deserves.
Today I suggest everybody celebrates alongside me by stuffing your face with blueberry cheesecake!
27th May – Sun Screen Day.
Although synthetic sunscreen has existed since the late 1920’s, in early times such as those of Ancient Greece people would use many different things as sunscreen – including olive oil!
Today is a day about raising awareness of the health benefits that sunscreen brings to our lives – and ironically coincides with Don’t Fry Day which is all about applying sunscreen!
28th May – Hamburger Day.
Hamburgers can trace their lineage all the way back to the late 1800’s before they became hugely popular in 1904.
Since then they have become the staple of takeaway food and come in many sizes and shapes, so it’s safe to say you won’t be far away from a place where they have all the burgers you could want!
29th May – Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day.
This bizarre holiday can actually trace its roots back to the early days of the Industrial Revolution, where families would place a piece of cloth either on or in their larder in order to bring prosperity and good luck to their household.
Although this day died out, it became revived with people choosing to place a pillow on their fridge rather than cloth on their larder.
So today your pillow becomes a multi-purpose tool and it brings you good luck.
If you don’t want to use your own pillow, you can buy the Pillow On Your Fridge Day pillow case!
Just make sure to post your pictures online and spread the joy of this wonderful day with everyone!
30th May – Water A Flower Day.
This is a day all about bringing a little color and life to our world. Without plants that flower it’s safe to say that our world would consist of far more barren tones.
So brighten up your garden and your lives and water a flower today!
31st May – Save Your Hearing Day.
When you’re young you tend to often turn everything up to 11 and not think about the ramifications. That’s why today is celebrated with something called the 60:60 rule.
This is about listening to your music or watching TV at 60% of the volume for 60 minutes less.
For such a small sacrifice it may have a very large pay-out when you’re older and your hearing is immaculate.
