Welcome to TIO’s Religious Calendar

may 2026

For Native Americans, May marks the Moon of Flowers, when the Earth awakens in full bloom and life returns to balance. It is a time of planting, renewal, and thanksgiving for the gifts of the land. Many tribes hold spring ceremonies to honor the spirits of growth, the rains, and the fertility of the soil. Among Plains and Eastern Woodland peoples, dances and offerings express gratitude for harmony between humans and nature, celebrating the sacred cycle of life’s continual rebirth.Shape

may 2026

Friday, May 1

  • Beltane (also called Beltain or May Day) – Wicca 
    Celebration of the sacred marriage of the divine forces—and the conception of the sun-child—that are the basis of all creation. 

Sunday, May 3

  • Feast of St. James and St. Phillip – Christianity 
    This day highlights Saint James the Lesser and Saint Phillip in the Christian faith. 

Tuesday, May 5

  • Cinco De Mayo 
    This holiday celebrates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862.  

Thursday, May 7

  • National Day of Prayer  
    The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.  

Saturday, May 16

  • ‘Azamat – Bahá’í 
    The beginning of the fourth month of the Bahá’í year, ‘Azamat means “grandeur.” 

Tuesday, May 19

  • Malcom X’s Birthday  
    Born on May 19th, 1925, Malcom X was the nation’s most visible proponent of Black Nationalism. His challenge to the multiracial, nonviolent approach of Martin Luther King Jr., helped set the tone for the ideological and tactical conflicts that took place within the black freedom struggle of the 1960s. Given Malcolm X’s abrasive criticism of Dr. King and his advocacy of racial separatism, it is not surprising that Dr. King rejected the occasional overtures from one of his fiercest critics. However, after Malcolm’s assassination in 1965, King wrote to his widow.  

Sunday, May 24

  • Declaration of the Báb – Bahá’í 
    The celebration of the day in 1844 C.E. when he announced his identity as the Gate or herald of the new age in Shiraz, Persia (modern-day Iran). 

Friday, May 29

  • Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh – Bahá’í 
    The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh commemorates the anniversary of the death of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Baha’u’llah was seventy-five years old when he passed away on May 29, 1892. CEIE recognizes the importance of religious festivals as they cultivate culture, community, and identity. 

Sunday, May 31

  • Visakha Puja (Buddha Day) – Buddhism 
    Celebrated by Theravdin Buddhists on the full moon of the sixth lunar month, this is a triple commemoration of the historical Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death and entrance into nirvana.