MAY, the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days. It is named for Maia, an early Roman goddess of spring, to whom sacrifices were made toward ensuring a bountiful harvest. Many festivals are associated with its position in the agricultural year.

5月，一年中的第5个月份，由31天组成。它是以早期罗马的春天女神玛雅的名字命名的，人们供奉她以确保丰收。许多节日都与其在农业年中的地位有关。

May’s birthstone is the emerald, and its zodiac signs are Taurus and Gemini.

5月的诞生石是翡翠，而它的星座是金牛座和双子座。

In the United States the chief holidays in the month include: Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May; Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May; and Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, the last Monday in May. (The subject May Day is treated under its own heading. For information on the holidays listed above, see the separate articles.)

在美国，在这个月的主要节日包括：在5月的第2个星期日的母亲节；在5月第三个星期六的军人节；以及在5月最后一个星期一的阵亡将士纪念日，以前被称为装饰日。（国际劳动节这个主题在其自己的标题处理。有关上述所列的假日信息，请参阅单独的文章）。

Notable holidays in other countries include: St. Joan of Arc Day, observed in France on the second Sunday in May; and Constitution Day, on May 17 in Norway, commemorating the adoption in 1814 of its own constitution, which led to the nation’s independence from Sweden in 1905.

在其它国家著名的节日包括：法国在5月的第二个星期日庆祝圣女贞德日；挪威在5月17日庆祝宪法日，纪念在1814年采用了它自己的宪法，导致国家于1905年摆脱瑞典而独立。

The Roman Catholic Church dedicates the month of May to the Virgin Mary, with ceremonies to adorn her altars and shrines. On May 3, Poles celebrate the Feast of the Virgin Mary, who in the Polish Litany is called the queen of the Polish Crown. Ascension Day, a movable feast that falls 40 days after Easter, commemorates the ascension of Christ to heaven following his resurrection. The Feast of Pentecost (known as Whitsunday in the Anglican Church), in the seventh Sunday after Easter, celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples.

罗马天主教会致力于将5月献给圣母玛利亚，用仪式来装饰她的圣坛和神殿。在5月3日，波兰人庆祝圣母玛利亚节，在波兰的连祷中，圣母玛利亚被称为波兰王国的女王。耶稣升天节，一个在复活节后持续40天不固定的节日，用以纪念耶稣复活后上升天堂。圣灵降临节（圣公会称为圣灵降临节），复活节后的第7个星期日，庆祝圣灵降临在门徒身上。

The Jewish Pentecost, commonly known as Shavuot (weeks), a movable holiday, occurs 50 days after Passover, which may be in late May or early June. The festival, called the Feast of the First Fruits in the Bible, commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites by Moses after his descent from Mt. Sinai.

犹太人的圣灵降临节，通常被称为五旬节（数周），一个不固定的节日，发生在逾越节后的50天，可能在5月底或6月初。这个节日，在《圣经》中称为初熟节，用以纪念莫西从西奈山下来之后给犹太人的《十诫》。

                                                                             SULA BENET

                                                                          Hunter College

                                                                                    苏拉·贝尼特

                                                                                       亨特学院

2024年2月11日译

（译者注：该词条位列《大美百科全书》1985年版，第18卷，第537页）