Why is May the month of Mary?

The celebration of the Marian month was first introduced in the East and then in the West. It is not a matter of a century or two of precedence, but rather over a millennium. In Egypt, in the 6th-7th centuries, there already existed a daily liturgy for the month of Kiatk (from December 10 to January 8), entirely focused on the preparation for Christmas and the praise of the Virgin Mother. The rite consisted of four parts:

• a poetic hymn praising Mother of God,
• a psalm of praise to the Virgin,
• a paraphrase of biblical words and episodes about Mary,
• a commentary with applications to Christian life.

Starting in the 11th century, Marian praise was accompanied by fasting, to remember the tradition according to which Mary suffered persecution in the last month of her pregnancy due to malicious tongues, and thus fasted and desired even more ardently the birth of Jesus. If for the Christians of Egypt the Marian month is December, for the Greek Christians it becomes August. The Byzantine Marian month is August, centered on the feast of the Assumption or Dormition, which divides the month into fifteen days of preparation and another fifteen of feast extension for the most important Marian liturgical feast of the year.

The Western tradition: Philippe de Harveng (†1183) and Annibale Dionigi (1646), the two historical marks of the Marian month

Not for liturgical reasons, as in Egypt or Constantinople, but for natural and affective reasons. The celebration of May as the month of flowers and the beginning of a new life dates back to pre-Christian times. In ancient Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, who, among other things, was the goddess of vegetation and fertility. In Rome, Flora, the deity of plants, especially the flowering of grains, was revered. In her honor, at the end of April or beginning of May, the Ludi Florales took place, interceding for everything that flourished.During the Middle Ages, this tradition continued with the expulsion of winter or the introduction of spring. The first day of May has long maintained its meaning as the beginning of growth, it was a day of luck when the earth sent its fruits upward. The connection with vegetation remained for this day and then for the entire month. May was considered from ancient times as the time of blossoming and brilliancy of nature. As a phase of transition to subsequent Marian devotion, the consecration of an entire month to Mary emerged, which finally led to the special Marian devotion in this month.One of the earliest evidences of Marian devotion in May comes from King Alfonso X, King of Castile (d. 1284). Among the 428 *Cantigas de Santa Maria* (Songs of Saint Mary) that he composed, there is the song Mayo Ben vennas, Mayo. Here, the May greeting is combined with praise and supplication to Mary:

Ben vennas, Mayo, and with joy. let us pray to Saint Mary that to her Son we may always pray that he may guard us from error and folly. Ben vennas, Mayo. Ben vennas, Mayo, and with joy.

Welcome, May, and with joy. let us pray to Saint Mary that to her Son we may always pray that he may guard us from error and folly. Welcome, May. Welcome, May, and with joy.

Welcome, May with all health,
Therefore let us pray to the one of great virtue
Who always helps us to God
Against the devil and shields us from all harm.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, and with loyalty,
Therefore let us pray to the one of great kindness
Who always shows us mercy
And guards us from all evil.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, with many riches.
And let us pray to those of nobility
In themselves very great, who give us sorrow
Protect us from all troubles and from every evil.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, covered in fruits.
And let us pray that she always bestows
Her mercies so that we may do many things
Defend us from the devil and his struggles.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, with good flavors.
And let us praise and give thanks
To him who always prays for us sinners
Asking God to keep us from pain.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, with cows and bulls.
And let us pray to those who hold treasures
Of Jesus Christ, who crushes the Moors
White and glorious.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, happy and without fear.
And let us pray to him who gains us
The strength of his Son, that we may
Conquer the Moors from Spain.
Welcome, May, and with joy.Welcome, May, with many flocks.
And let us pray that sins
Lead us to be forgiven by God
So that we are not deprived of his Son.
Welcome, May, and with joy.

Welcome, May, with many flocks. And we pray to her who makes sins be forgiven by God, that she might make us heirs of her Son. Welcome, May, and with joy.	Bienvenido, Mayo, con buen tiempo. y rogamos a la Virgen de tierra que nos defienda de hombre muy villano y de atrevido y de torpe caluniador. Bienvenido, Mayo, y con alegría.
Bienvenido, Mayo, con pan y con vino. y rogamos a que Dios niño trajo en sus brazos, que nos dé camino para que estemos con ella en festín. Bienvenido, Mayo, y con alegría.	Welcome, May, with bread and wine. and we pray to God the Child who brought us in his arms, that he might give us a path, so that we may be with her in feast. Welcome, May, and with joy.
Bienvenido, Mayo, manso y no irado. y rogamos a que nuestro escudo sea, que nos guarde de loco atrevido y de hombre malo y desconocido. Bienvenido, Mayo, y con alegría.	Welcome, May, gentle and not angry. and we pray that our shield may be, that she guard us from a reckless and foolish man and from a bad and unknown man. Welcome, May, and with joy.
Bienvenido, Mayo, alegre y formoso. por eso a la Madre del Rey glorioso rogamos que nos guarde del nocivo hombre y de falso y de mentiroso. Bienvenido, Mayo, y con alegría.	Welcome, May, joyful and beautiful. therefore to the Mother of the glorious King we pray that she guard us from the harmful man and from falsehood and lying. Welcome, May, and with joy.
Bienvenido, Mayo, con buenos manjares. y rogamos en nuestros cantares a Santa Virgen, ante sus altares, que nos defienda de grandes pesares. Bienvenido, Mayo, y con alegría.	Welcome, May, with good food. and we pray in our songs to Saint Virgin, before her altars, that she may defend us from great sorrows. Welcome, May, and with joy.

In Toulouse, from the 14th century, in the Provençal floral games held on May 1st, poems were presented with the prescribed theme of praising Mary. The Jesuit Jakob Balde (d. 1668) also offered an ode to Mary on May 1st, 1641, describing Mary’s entry into the nature of spring. The Dominican blessed Heinrich Suso (d. 1365), in his tender affection for the Virgin, dedicates the spring, the season of flowers, each year to the Mother of Jesus. His steps are followed by the Benedictine Wolfgang Seidl (d. 1562), who in his booklet ‘The Spiritual May’ reacts to pagan festivals, proposing special tributes to Jesus and Mary.Independently of the month and their marked Marian piety, there is a proper form of Marian devotion that extends over 30 days or a month. For example, the 30 days celebrated between August 15th (Assumption) and September 14th (Exaltation of the Cross), which were chosen as a model and starting point for the celebration of the Marian May devotion.In the Baroque period, there are already indications of the practice of dedicating a month to Mary, without specifying which one. This month was not linked to the calendar month, so the Marian month with its specific devotion of 30 or 31 days could begin at any time. An example is provided by the Jesuit Johannes Nadasi (d. 1679) in his work Theophilus Marianus (1664), where he proposes 31 Marian exercises where May is not mentioned.A codex preserved in San Domenico di Fiesole describes what the Dominican novices did in 1676: upon the arrival of Calendimaggio, they decided to celebrate Mary with songs and flower offerings, following the example of their contemporaries who sang to their brides. Subsequently, this custom extended to all days of May. Perhaps an indication of this transition from 31 days to its occurrence in May can be found in the Capuchin Laurentius von Schnüffis (d. 1702) with his work Mirantische Mayen-Pfeiff (May’s Enchanting Flute) in which he transposes the image of spring to Mary: Mary is the spring of grace after the winter of destruction.The universal diffusion of the Marian May: *Mense Maio* by Paul VI (1965) and modern liturgical reception.The greatest impetus for May as a Marian month undoubtedly came from several Jesuit scholars in the 18th century. The first was Father Annibale Dionisi of Verona, who in 1725 published *The Month of Mary, or May Dedicated to Mary*, with various exercises in virtue proposed to her true devotes. This booklet contains the elements of the Marian month that would receive a definitive character: prayer (including the Rosary and litanies) before an image of Mary, spiritual considerations, offerings of virtue, and jaculatory prayers.In 1785, the first edition of *May Dedicated to the Great Mother of God* was published in Ferrara by Jesuit theologian Father Alfonso Muzzarelli (d. 1813). He had the idea to send his booklet to all the bishops in Italy so they might introduce this pious practice into their dioceses. The success was immense, and by the mid-19th century, the pious practice of May was in use in almost every Catholic parish worldwide.This work recognized the spiritual fruits produced by the celebration of the Marian month:– Instruction in the truths of the faith, – Religious experience in the context of popular songs and solemn rites, – Community prayer encounter with the Mother of God, – Growth in confidence in Mary, – Formation of the will in the daily commitment to realize these practices.

May, the Month of Mary, and Flowers: A Symbolic Spring, the Song of Songs (Ct 2:11-12), and the Tradition of Nature

Spring begins on March 21st. While plant life does bloom in the Northern Hemisphere starting in May, Marian veneration occurred at any time during a thirty-day period in the Middle Ages, not necessarily confined to the month of May. Over time, various forms of Marian devotion in spring coalesced into a focus on May. This month became the preeminent Marian month. May, the most beautiful month, the month of flowers, possessed all the qualities to be a Marian month.Another factor influencing the choice of May was that, up to that point, it lacked a dedicated Marian feast. It was a month freely chosen for voluntary Marian devotion. Moreover, May offered the first opportunity, following forty days of Lent and Easter, to dedicate an entire month to such devotion.In *Marianische Maiandacht oder der Verehrung Mariens gewidmeter Mai-Monat* (Devotion to Mary in May, or the Month Dedicated to the Veneration of Mary), published in Regensburg in 1839, it is stated: “When one always chooses the most beautiful, the best, and the most pleasant for a sacrifice, then May, the most beautiful of months, is given preference.”May devotion is typically celebrated throughout the month, forming part of monthly devotions that emerged in the 19th century, including devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June and the Rosary in October.Starting in the second half of the 19th century, May developed into the most significant form of Marian devotion. Petitions from the faithful demanded its introduction. Many bishops, through active participation in celebrations, clearly signalled their approval. The strongest impetus for May came with the dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception (1854).In several dioceses, the dogma was officially proclaimed in May the following year, often linked to the month of May. Extraordinary political and ecclesiastical events frequently served as reasons to promote May with emphasis, as during the two World Wars. Following the outbreak of World War I, Pope Benedict XV ordered in 1915 that a prayer for peace, written by him, be offered in May.May was recommended again during World War II. In 1939, Pope Pius XII called on the faithful to offer special prayers and devotions in May for peace among nations. Children were encouraged to participate in this prayer, a desire the Pope expressed regularly between 1939 and 1944. In the encyclical *Mediator Dei* (1947), May is listed among recommended acts of piety (no. 180). However, a characteristic of this form of piety is the disregard for the liturgical year.

The Liturgical Problem of May: Parallelism with the Paschal Season and Critique of the Modern Devotion

Today, the problematic issue is how to connect the devotion of May with the fifty-day Paschal season highlighted by the Second Vatican Council. The rhythm of the weeks of Easter extends roughly until May. In accordance with the Council’s desire, the liturgical year should be structured to preserve the original character of the seasons (Sacrosanctum Concilium 107).The Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the new Roman General Calendar clearly state: “The fifty days between the Sunday of the Resurrection and the Sunday of Pentecost are to be celebrated with joy and exultation, as if they were one feast day, or rather, as a great Sunday” (No. 22).A mere devotion to Mary, as practiced in the traditional May devotions, cannot meet this requirement, rather obscuring the Paschal theme of these weeks. For an appropriate renewal of May devotions, it is advisable to consider that the Paschal season is the fundamental and overarching theme. Since May extends roughly over the Paschal period, the Marian piety typically associated with it should be oriented by the Paschal theme. In no way should the Paschal theme be subordinate or deferred to May and its piety.After a temporary crisis following the Second Vatican Council, May is now clearly on the rise: a sign of this is the accelerated pace of new publications on the subject.Even while living with special fervor the Advent season as a particularly suitable time for the cult of the Mother of the Lord (Marialis Cultus 4), contemporary Christians stand to gain much from a renewed celebration of May. This is not about mechanically repeating the past, but about renewing the Marian month according to the directives of Lumen gentium (1964) and Marialis cultus.In practice, the celebration of Marian Month should be more biblical, better harmonized with the liturgy, highlighting “the participation of the Virgin in the paschal mystery and the event of Pentecost” (Directory, no. 191), more Christ-centered and ecumenical, more attentive to the issues of our time.Above all, Marian Month should preserve and enhance its prayerful character: it should be a time of religious experience of the God revealed, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through fervent prayer to Mary and with Mary, living and glorified, mother and model of the Church.The month of May as Marian Month finds reference in the teaching of Paul VI, who in the document Marialis Cultus values Marian devotions throughout the liturgical year.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Postgraduate Degree in Mariology.