May - a very special month for Sri Lankans

by Sumana Saparamadu

May the fifth month of the year is named after Maia. She was not a famous goddess but she had a famous father, Atlas, who was supposed to carry the world on his shoulders. Her son was equally famous. He was Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods.

May is an important month to Sri Lankans, especially the Buddhists. Vesak the most important day in the Buddhist calendar is in May. The full-moon day in the month of Vesak marks the birth of Prince Siddhartha, who became the Enlightened one, the Buddha 35 years later, on a Vesak full-moon day. He passed away and attained Nibbana also on a Vesak full-moon day at the age of 80. So Vesak is a thrice - blessed day.

While the Christian Era is counted from the year of the birth of Christ (BC) the Buddhist Era (BE) is counted from the year the Buddha attained Nibbana. So, this Vesak full-moon day is the first day of the Buddhist Era 2558. Vesak day is celebrated countrywide in all Buddhist countries, viz. Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and also by a large Buddhist population in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet.

May is a special month to us Sri Lankans. Sri Lanka became an independent Republic on May 22, 1972. For 133 years from 1815 to 1948, Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, was a colony in the British empire. On February 4, 1948 Ceylon was granted independence and it became a Dominion in the British Commonwealth. Although we were an independent Dominion the King/Queen of England was our Head of State.Since May 22, 1972 our country is Sri Lanka and we have our own Head of State, the President. The first President of the Republic of Sri Lanka was William Gopallawa.

May is the workers' month. May 1st is Labour Day, the day the workers, those who work in factories or for a daily pay get together, claiming their rights.

May 1, 1886 was the first day that demands for a eight hour working day began. This established May 1 as an international holiday.

May Day is celebrated by demonstrations, parades and speeches. May Day is observed in Sri Lanka since 1956, when for the first time May 1 was declared a government holiday. In the past May 1, was celebrated in England by crowning a May Queen and dancing round a May Pole, still persists in England.

May 25 is the birth anniversary of Martin Wickramasinghe, novelist and essayist. He was born in Koggala in 1891, the only boy of a family of eight girls.