May 9 is primarily celebrated as Europe Day, marking the 1950 Schuman Declaration that laid foundations for the EU. In Russia and several former Soviet states, it is Victory Day, commemorating the 1945 surrender of Nazi Germany. It also marks anniversaries like the first US Mother's Day proclamation in 1914.
What is Europe Day? Europe Day marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, presented on 9 May 1950. This signalled a new era for peace, integration and democratic cooperation in Europe, laying the foundations for the European Union as we know it today.
On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issues a presidential proclamation that officially establishes the first national Mother's Day holiday to celebrate America's mothers.
VISITING RUSSIA'S VICTORY DAY PARADE: May 9 explained
Why is May 9 so special?
Victory Day is a holiday that commemorates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was first inaugurated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union following the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening on 8 May 1945 (9 May Moscow Time).
Victory Day on May 9 commemorates the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, and remains one of Russia's most significant celebrations. Each year, the country holds a parade and fires ceremonial salutes. Why is the day so important for Russians? Join People's Daily Online reporter Elena Davydova to find out!
May 1 is an official holiday in most EU countries. It is International Labor Day, a holiday that dates back to the late 19th century, when workers in the US and Europe began to demand better working conditions and an 8-hour workday.
Whit Monday is a public holiday in some places around the world, including countries in Europe such as Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Norway. Whit Monday is not a federal holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The "Big Three" of Europe generally refers to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK), especially in foreign policy and security, forming the informal "E3" for major diplomatic initiatives like Iran nuclear talks. Within the EU, the trio often includes France, Germany, and Italy due to their combined economic power and founding roles, though the UK was part of the grouping before Brexit, while France, Germany, Italy, and the UK are collectively called the "Big Four".
The rythme is very much different here and it centres around school and working hours. This year (2024) the May Bank Holidays are as follows. Thursday 9 May – Ascension Day – A Christian Day to mark the ascension of Jesus to Heaven.
May Day, or the first Monday in May, only became a bank holiday in 1978 but its origins as a day of celebration go back over two thousand years! It falls roughly between the spring equinox and the summer solstice and Celts celebrated it as the first day of summer, calling it Beltane.
MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has declared election day, May 9, a special non-working holiday to allow more people to cast their votes. Proclamation No. 1357, signed by Duterte on Thursday, enables people "to properly exercise their right to vote, subject to public health measures of the national government."
Whitsuntide, the week following Whit Sunday or Pentecost, was traditionally a time for celebration as the first holiday of the summer. Whit Monday used to be a public holiday in the UK, but as the date varied (according to when Easter fell) it was replaced with the fixed Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May.
Whit Monday, also known as Pentecost Monday is a public holiday in several countries on the Monday after Whitsunday. Also known as Pentecost or Whitsun, Whitsunday is observed fifty days after Easter and 10 days after Ascension of Jesus Christ..
May 1 is a public holiday in countries such as South Africa, Tunisia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and China. In many countries, including France, Greece, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States, there are demonstrations on International Workers' Day.
When the second bank holiday in May was moved to the last Monday in May back in 1971, it was never given an official name. Unlike the May Day bank holiday, or the August bank holiday, this holiday tends to either be called the Spring bank holiday or the Late May bank holiday.
The UK has two May bank holidays due to a combination of ancient seasonal traditions and Christian festivals, formalized by legislation: the Early May Bank Holiday (first Monday in May) connects to pagan May Day/Beltane and International Labour Day (introduced in 1978), while the Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May) replaced the movable Whit Monday (Pentecost) with a fixed date in 1971 to provide a consistent long weekend before summer.
On 8 May 1945, a week after Hitler had suicided in his Berlin bunker, the German High Command accepted Allied demands for unconditional surrender and signed the Instrument of Surrender. The surrender officially took effect at midnight 8–9 May 1945.
This date was chosen at the European Council Milan Summit of 1985 in recognition of the first attempts to create an integrated European Union at a meeting of the European coal and steel industries in Paris on the 9th of May in 1950 The proposal to create a federation style Europe was in response, firstly, to the ...
Germany surrendered in World War II in May 1945, with the main unconditional surrender signed in Berlin on May 8, 1945, celebrated as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, though some German forces surrendered days earlier (May 7 in Reims) and pockets held out longer, with Russia celebrating Victory Day on May 9.
