May 2023 Observances for Your

Senior Activity Calendar

Find interesting and unique observances and holidays for you to use as inspiration for your senior activity program.

May 2023 Monthly Observances

• Adopt a Horse Month
• American Cheese Month
• American Wetlands Month
• Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Asthma Awareness Month
• Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Celiac Disease Awareness Month
• Clean Air Month
• Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month
• Gardening for Wildlife Month
• Get Caught Reading Month
• Gifts From the Garden Month
• Global Civility Awareness Month
• Haitian Heritage Month
• Heal the Children Month
• Healthy Vision Month
• Hepatitis Awareness Month
• Homeschooling Awareness Month
• Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month
• International Mediterranean Diet Month
• International Victorious Woman Month
• Jewish-American Heritage Month
• Latino Books Month
• Mental Health Month
• Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
• Mystery Month
• National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
• National Arthritis Awareness Month
• National Barbecue Month
• National Bike Month
• National Foster Care Month
• National Good Car-Keeping Month
• National Hamburger Month
• National Hepatitis Awareness Month
• National Meditation Month
• National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
• National Military Appreciation Month
• National Osteoporosis Month
• National Photography Month
• National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
• National Preservation Month
• National Read to Your Baby Bump Month
• National Salad Month
• National Salsa Month
• National Strawberry Month
• National Stroke Awareness Month
• National Sweet Vidalia Onion Month
• National Vinegar Month
• Older Americans Month
• Personal History Awareness Month
• Play Tennis Month
• Preservation Month
• Save Your Tooth Month
• Skin Cancer Awareness Month
• Strike Out Stroke Month
• Ultraviolet Awareness Month
• Women’s Health Month
• Young Achievers/Leaders of Tomorrow Month

May 2023 Weekly Observances

• National Nurses Week (May 6-12)
• Be Kind to Animals Week (May 7-13)
• National Hug Holiday Week (May 7-13)
• National Pet Week (May 7-13)
• National Travel and Tourism Week (May 7-13)
• National Etiquette Week (May 8-12)
• National Stuttering Awareness Week (May 8-13)
• Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12)
• National Police Week (May 14-20)
• National Skilled Nursing Care Week (May 14-20)
• National Transportation Week (May 14-20)
• National Unicycle Week (May 14-20)
• Salute to 40+ Moms Week (May 14-20)
• Work at Home Moms Week (May 14-20)
• World Trade Week (May 14-20)
• Bike to Work Week (May 15-21)
• National Safe Boating Week (May 20-26)
• International New Friends, Old Friends Week (May 21-27)
• National Backyard Games Week (May 22-29)
• Fleet Week New York 2023 in New York City (May 24-30)
• Week of Solidarity With the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories (May 25-31)
• National African Violet Week (May 28 – June 4)

May 2023 Daily Observances

May 1

• Discuss Your Wage Day
• Keep Kids Alive – Drive 25 Day, encouraging people to follow residential speed limits
• Labour Day in United Kingdom
• Law Day
• Lei Day in Hawaii
• Loyalty Day
• May Day
• May One Day, a day to encourage schoolchildren to choose a dream and to go after it
• Melanoma Monday, a day to encourage people to examine their skin (also called National Skin Self-Examination Day)
• Mother Goose Day
• National Chocolate Parfait Day
• National College Decision Day, the day high school students must make final college decisions
• National High Potassium Awareness Day
• New Home Owner’s Day
• School Principals’ Day
• World Lyme Day

May 2

• National Truffles Day
• Robert’s Rules of Order Day, honoring the birthday of the author of the parliamentary guide Robert’s Rules of Order, Henry Martyn Robert
• World Asthma Day
• World Tuna Day

May 3

• Garden Meditation Day
• Lumpy Rug Day
• National Raspberry Popover Day
• National Specially-abled Pets Day, a day to recognize owners of disabled pets
• National Textiles Day
• National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
• World Press Freedom Day

May 4

• International Respect for Chickens Day
• National Candied Orange Peel Day
• National Day of Prayer
• National Day of Reason
• National Orange Juice Day
• Star Wars Day

May 5

• African World Heritage Day
• Cartoonists Day
• Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday remembering the Battle of Puebla in 1862
• Full Flower Moon
• International Day of the Midwife
• National Astronaut Day
• National Hoagie Day
• National Space Day
• World Portuguese Language Day

May 6

• Free Comic Book Day
• International Management Accounting Day
• International No Diet Day
• Learn to Ride a Bike Day
• National Auctioneers Day
• National Beverage Day
• No Homework Day
• 149th running of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky

May 7

• National Ride A Bike Day
• National Tourism Day
• World Laughter Day

May 8

• National Coconut Cream Pie Day
• National Have a Coke Day
• National Student Nurses Day
• No Socks Day
• V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day)
• World Red Cross Red Crescent Day

May 9

• National Butterscotch Brownie Day
• National Teacher Day

May 10

• Donate a Day’s Wages to Charity Day
• National Nightshift Workers Day, also known as National Third Shift Workers Day
• National Receptionists Day
• National School Nurse Day
• National Shrimp Day
• World Lupus Day

May 11

• Eat What You Want Day

May 12

• Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks a Voice, a day to celebrate sharks
• International Nurses Day
• Limerick Day
• Military Spouse Appreciation Day
• National Nutty Fudge Day

May 13

• Blame Someone Else Day
• Children of Fallen Patriots Day
• International Hummus Day
• Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive in the United States
• Mother Ocean Day
• National Apple Pie Day
• National Babysitters Day
• National Fruit Cocktail Day
• Stay Up All Night Night
• World Belly Dance Day
• World Fair Trade Day
• World Migratory Bird Day

May 14

• Mother’s Day
• National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
• Ride a Unicycle Day
• Stay Up All Night Night
• “The Stars and Stripes Forever” Day
• Underground America Day, honoring those who live in houses that are in or underground

May 15

• International Day of Families
• National Chocolate Chip Day
• National Slider Day, a day to honor the petite burgers
• Peace Officer Memorial Day

May 16

• Biographers Day
• International Day of Light
• International Day of Living Together in Peace
• National Mimosa Day
• National Piercing Day

May 17

• National Cherry Cobbler Day
• National Walnut Day
• World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

May 18

• Ascension Day, commemorating Christ’s ascension into heaven
• I Love Reese’s Day
• International Museum Day
• Visit Your Relatives Day

May 19

• Bike to Work Day
• Endangered Species Day
• Hepatitis Testing Day
• International Virtual Assistants Day
• National Devil’s Food Cake Day

May 20

• Armed Forces Day
• Eliza Doolittle Day, honoring the literary character’s commitment to speaking her native language properly
• International Learn to Swim Day
• National Pizza Party Day
• National Rescue Dog Day
• Weights and Measures Day
• World Bee Day
• 148th running of the Preakness Stakes (horse racing) in Baltimore, Maryland

May 21

• “I Need a Patch for That” Day, a day recognizing the availability of patches that help with ailments
• International Tea Day
• National Strawberries and Cream Day
• National Waitstaff Day
• Rural Life Sunday, focusing on the importance of the earth and the environment in Christian denominations
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

May 22

• Canadian Immigrants’ Day
• International Day for Biological Diversity
• National Maritime Day
• National Vanilla Pudding Day
• Victoria Day in Canada
• World Goth Day

May 23

• National Best Friend-in-Law Day, honoring the best friends of spouses
• National Taffy Day
• World Turtle Day

May 24

• Brother’s Day
• International Tiara Day

May 25

• African Freedom Day
• Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day
• National Brown-Bag-It Day
• National Missing Children’s Day
• National Tap Dance Day
• National Wine Day
• Towel Day

May 26

• National Blueberry Cheesecake Day
• National Cherry Dessert Day
• Shavuot, the Jewish Festival of Weeks recognizing the revealing of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai (May 26-27, begins at sundown on May 25)
• World Lindy Hop Day

May 27

• National Grape Popsicle Day
• National Sunscreen Day

May 28

• National Hamburger Day
• Whitsunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter which is a popular time for baptism
• 107th running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in Indianapolis, Indiana

May 29

• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
• Memorial Day
• National Alligator Day
• National Coq au Vin Day
• Whitmonday, the day after Whitsunday

May 30

• National Mint Julep Day
• World MS Day

May 31

• National Macaroon Day
• National Senior Health and Fitness Day
• What You Think Upon Grows Day
• World No-Tobacco Day
• World Otter Day