Holidays and observances
Holidays and observances on May 16
17 holidays and special days are celebrated on May 16 around the world.
- 17observances
- 56events
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Aaron (Coptic Church)Aaron was a Miaphysite Coptic saint. His apocryphal legend says of him, "When he was sick, he made roasted pigeons fly into his mouth." He has a feast in the Coptic Calendar of saints on May 16.
Christian feast day:
Abda and Abdjesus, and companions:
Abdas of SusaAbdas, was bishop of Susa in Iran. Socrates of Constantinople calls him "bishop of Persia". He was executed under the orders of shah Yazdegerd I after refusing to rebuild a Zoroastrian fire temple that he had destroyed.
Christian feast day:
Andrew BobolaAndrew Bobola, SJ was a Polish missionary and martyr of the Society of Jesus, known as the "Apostle of Lithuania" and the "hunter of souls". He was beaten and tortured to death during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. He was canonized in 1938 by Pope Pius XI.
Christian feast day:
Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)Brendan of Clonfert is one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, and Brendan the Bold. The Irish form of his name is Naomh Bréa
Christian feast day:
Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)Caroline Chisholm was an English humanitarian known mostly for her support of immigrant female and family welfare in Australia. She is commemorated on 16 May in the calendar of saints of the Church of England. Her path to sainthood within the Catholic Church h
Christian feast day:
Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)Gemma Umberta Pia Galgani, also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italian mystic, canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1940. She has been called the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. She is especially
Christian feast day:
GermeriusSaint Germerius was bishop of Toulouse from 510 to 560 AD. There is some question as to whether he actually existed. He is the patron saint of the abbey of Lézat.
Christian feast day:
Honoratus of AmiensSaint Honoratus of Amiens was the seventh bishop of Amiens. His feast day is May 16.- Christian feast day: Peregrine of AuxerrePeregrine (Peregrinus) of Auxerre is venerated as the first bishop of Auxerre and the builder of its first cathedral. A strong local tradition states that he was a priest of Rome appointed by Pope Sixtus II to evangelize this area at the request of the Christi
- Christian feast day: PossidiusPossidius was a friend of Augustine of Hippo who wrote a biography and an indiculus or list of his works. He was bishop of Calama in the Roman province of Numidia.
Christian feast day:
Simon StockSimon Stock, OCarm was an English Catholic priest and saint who lived in the 13th century and was an early prior of the Carmelite Order. The Blessed Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have appeared to him and given him the Brown Scapular. Popular devotion to
Christian feast day:
Ubald (see Saint Ubaldo Day)Ubald of Gubbio was a medieval bishop of Gubbio, in Umbria, today venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Saint Ubaldo Day is still celebrated at the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo in Gubbio in his honor, as well as at Jessup, Pennsylvania.
Christian feast day:
May 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)May 15 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 17
Martyrs of Sudan (Episcopal Church (USA))Christianity in Sudan has a long and rich history, dating back to the early centuries of the Christian era.
Ancient Nubia was reached by Coptic Christianity by the 1st century.
The Coptic Church was later influenced by Greek Christianity, particularly during t
Mass Graves Day (Iraq)Mass graves in Iraq are characterized as unmarked sites containing at least six bodies. Some can be identified by mounds of earth piled above the ground or as deep pits that appear to have been filled. Some older graves are more difficult to identify, having b
National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people. It may be the date of independence, of becoming a republic, of becoming a federation, or a significant date for a patron saint, a ruler or a date in that c
Teachers' Day (Malaysia)
Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers. It may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community tone in education. This is one of the most celebrated days and the primary
Frequently asked questions
What is celebrated on May 16?
17 observances are celebrated on May 16 around the world: Christian feast day: Aaron (Coptic Church), Christian feast day: Abda and Abdjesus, and companions: Abdas of Susa, Christian feast day: Andrew Bobola, Christian feast day: Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church), Christian feast day: Caroline Chisholm (Church of England), Christian feast day: Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
What happened on May 16?
56 documented historical events happened on May 16, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Mohnyin Thado captured Sagaing to become the king of Ava, in present-day Myanmar. On the same day, in another year: After a scuffle in which one cardinal had several bones broken, a papal conclave convened in Rome elected Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
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