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A Key to the Calendar: Maius

May (Lat. Maius) was consecrated to Apollo among the Romans, and is derived from Maia, a feminine divinity worshipped at Rome, to whom sacrifices were offered on the 1st of May. Some philologists, however, hold that Maius is a contraction of Magius, derived from the Sanskrit root mag or mah, to grow. The custom of observing May-day, or the first of May, with floral and festive ceremonies, is older than the Middle Ages, and is probably the lineal descendant of the Roman Floralia, or festival in honor of Flora, celebrated from April 28th to May 2nd. In England, before sunrise, young people go to the groves to gather flowers and branches of foliage to adorn the village May-pole, around which the dancing is kept up. A queen of the May, the most beautiful girl in the village, is elected for crowning. 1. St. Philip and St. James. The St. James commemorated this day is the one who was cousin, and has been called the brother, of our Lord; to distinguish him from the other James, he is styled the Less, possibly because he was the smaller, or the younger. He was remarkable for his simplicity and piety, and gained great influence in Jerusalem, of which city he was the first bishop. This so enraged the Jews that they hurled him from a pinnacle of the temple. He was not killed by the fall, but was able to get upon his knees, and in this posture was killed by clubs and stones. Of St. Philip but little is known beyond what is stated of him in the New Testament. Tradition says that he was married, had several daughters, and that he preached the gospel in Phrygia. 3. Invention of the Cross.