Holidays Calendar for May 17, 2025
Constitution Day is the national day of Norway. It is observed on May 17 because the Norwegian Constitution was signed on May 17, 1814. The constitution declared Norway's independence.
On May 17 each year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) celebrates Liberation Day. It is a public holiday that commemorates the 1997 coup d'etat led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
Constitution Day is one of the public holidays in the Republic of Nauru. It is celebrated annually on May 17.
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphonia is an annual campaign that focuses on raising awareness of discrimination experienced by LGBTQ+ people internationally. It is celebrated on May 17 in more than 30 countries.
World Hypertension Day is observed annually on May 17. It was initiated by the World Hypertension League, an umbrella organization that unites national hypertension leagues and societies around the world. The day aims to raise awareness of hypertension and spread knowledge on this common cardiovascular condition.
Pinot Grigio Day, also known as International Pinot Gris Day, is observed annually on May 17. It was created to celebrate a popular white wine grape variety that can be used to produce a wide range of wine styles.
Culture Freedom Day is celebrated every year on the third Saturday in May. This international observance was initiated by the Digital Freedom Foundation in 2012.
International Child Helpline Day is observed annually on May 17. It was created to celebrate the important work of child helplines around the globe and raise public awareness of child helplines so that children in need of help know where they can get it.
Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day, also known as NF Awareness Day and World NF Awareness Day, is observed annually on May 17. It was launched to raise awareness of a group of rare genetic disorders that cause tumor growth in the nervous system.
In Argentina, Navy Day is celebrated on May 17 each year. It commemorates the anniversary of the victory achieved in the Battle of Buceo, also known as the Battle of Montevideo.
Firefighters’ Day is a Latvian professional holiday celebrated annually on May 17. Created in 2011, it marks the anniversary of the founding of the country’s fire and rescue service.
Science Day in Ukraine is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. It was officially established by President Leonid Kuchma in 1997 and has been celebrated annually ever since.
The third Saturday in May is Armed Forces Day in the USA. The holiday finishes the Armed Forces Week, that starts on the second Saturday of May.
Galician Literature Day is an annual cultural observance that celebrates the Galician language and its literature. The holiday was instituted by the Royal Galician Academy in 1963 and has been celebrated annually ever since.
National Book Day (Hari Buku Nasional), also known as Indonesian Book Day, is celebrated in Indonesia annually on May 17. Its was created to promote literacy and reading in Indonesian society and support the country’s publishing industry.
Kalmyk Tea Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May in Kalmykia, a constituent republic of the Russian Federation. It was established in 2011 by the People’s Khural (parliament) of the Republic of Kalmykia to preserve and revive Kalmyk folk traditions. The holiday was first celebrated on May 19, 2012.
Malaysia is a federation where each state is governed either by a monarch (the majority of Malaysian states are sultanates) or by a governor appointed by the Supreme Head of Malaysia. The birthdays of the heads of states are official holidays in the respective states. Interestignly, Raja of Perlis’s birthday can be celebrated on different dates.
May 17 is National Cherry Cobbler Day. This fruit pie deserves its own holiday, and today is a perfect day to bake a cherry cobbler to celebrate with friends and family.
World Whisky Day is an annual celebration of “water of life”, taking place on the third Saturday in May. This renowned event exists since 2012.
Walnuts may not be as popular as almonds or peanuts, but they still rank as one of the most popular nuts in the world. National Walnut Day, observed on May 17, was created to celebrate these delicious nuts that have a lot of health benefits.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (originally named World Telecommunication Day) is an annual celebration held on May 17. It was officially proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in November 2005.
Although there is Universal Children’s Day officially recognized by the United Nations, which is celebrated annually on November 20, many countries have their own Children’s Day. For example, in Norway the semi-official Children’s Day takes place on May 17, coinciding with Constitution Day.
In December 2018, members of the Kyiv City Council voted in favor of adding a new holiday to the Ukrainian capital’s holiday calendar. Neighbor Day in Kyiv is celebrated on the third Saturday of May; it used to coincide with Europe Day in Ukraine.
Festivals on May 17, 2025
This Day in History
- 2014 Antonov An-74 airplane of the Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force crashed in northern Laos, killing 16 people. Some of them were Laotian statesmen.
- 2014 Died: Gerald Edelman, American biologist who was awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with Rodney Robert Porter.
- 2013 Two Metro-North Railroad passenger trains collided in Fairfield, Connecticut. Nobody was killed, but there were at least 72 injured among circa 700 passengers.
- 2013 Died: Jorge Rafael Videla, dictator of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a military coup that overthrew Isabel Martínez de Perón.
- 2012 Died: Donna Summer, American singer, songwriter, and painter. She won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- 2007 Died: Lloyd Alexander, American author best known for his fantasy novels for children and young adults, primarily The Chronicles of Prydain.
- 2004 Died: Tony Randall, American actor of stage, film and television, producer, and director best known for his role as Felix Unger in The Odd Couple.
- 1995 Born: Hannah Dodd, English actress and model know for her roles as Thea in Find Me in Paris, Sarah Chapman in Enola Holmes 2, and Francesca in Bridgerton.
- 1990 The General Assembly of the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in the 10th revision of the ICD.
- 1989 Born: Tessa Virtue, Canadian retired ice dancer. With ice dance partner Scott Moir, she is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medalist, and a three-time World champion.
- 1988 Born: Nikki Reed, American actress who known for co-writing the script and playing the lead role in Thirteen and her roles as Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga.
- 1987 American guided-missile frigate USS Stark was struck by two Exocet anti-ship missiles fired from an Iraqi Mirage F1 aircraft. 37 crewmen were killed.
- 1985 Born: Derek Hough, American professional dancer, choreographer, occasional actor, and singer. He is known for his work on Dancing with the Stars.
- 1984 Born: Lena Waithe, American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the drama series The Chi and the comedy series Boomerang and Twenties.
- 1980 On the eve of the presidential elections in Peru, members of the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path burned ballot boxes in Cuschi, starting an internal conflict.
- 1969 Soviet spacecraft Venera 6 (4V-1 No.331) began its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, returning data from the Venusian atmosphere.
- 1962 Born: Craig Ferguson, Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, director, producer, and writer.
- 1960 Born: Simon Fuller, English talent manager, entrepreneur, and television producer primarily known for having created the Idol franchise.
- 1956 Born: Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist and publisher best known for his comic book Cerebus and his advocacy of creator's rights and self-publishing.
- 1956 Born: Sugar Ray Leonard, American former professional boxer and motivational speaker. He won world titles in five weight divisions.
- 1955 Born: Bill Paxton, American actor and filmmaker whose fil credits include Aliens, Near Dark, Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13, Twister, Titanic, Mighty Joe Young, and more.
- 1918 Born: Birgit Nilsson, Swedish dramatic soprano. One of her favorite roles was the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier.
- 1916 Died: Boris Galitzine, Russian physicist, one of the founders of modern seismology. He invented the first electromagnetic seismograph.
- 1904 Born: Jean Gabin, French actor and occasional singer whose prolific acting career spanned almost 50 years. He is considered a key figure in French cinema.
- 1897 Born: Odd Hassel, Norwegian physical chemist who was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Derek H. R. Barton.
- 1873 Born: Henri Barbusse, French novelist whose best known works include Hell, Under Fire, The Knife Between My Teeth, and Elevations.
- 1868 Born: Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturing pioneer who is primarily remembered as co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.
- 1865 The International Telegraph Union (now the International Telecommunication Union) was founded. In 1947, it became a UN specialized agency.
- 1849 A devastating fire nearly burned St. Louis, Missouri to the ground and destroyed many of the steamboats using the Missouri River and Mississippi River.
- 1838 Died: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of France and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- 1792 The Buttonwood Agreement signed by 23 stockbrokers started the New York Stock & Exchange Board now known as the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1765 Died: Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist. He was a prodigy and wrote his first scientific work at the age of 12.
- 1729 Died: Samuel Clarke, English philosopher and Anglican clergyman. He is considered one of the major British philosophers, along with John Locke and George Berkeley.
- 1642 Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded the settlement of Ville-Marie in Canada and became its first governor. In 1705, it was renamed Montreal.
- 1510 Died: Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance whose best known works include Primavera (Allegory of Spring) and The Birth of Venus.