Two state elections, a Eurovision Song Contest and numerous shooting stars: There's a lot going on in May this year.
There is also good news for Maischberger fans and users of online marketplaces such as Ebay and Amazon.
State elections in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia take place
Catherine Whole
editor
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Two state elections are held in the merry month of May: in the northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein, voters go to the ballot box on May 8th, while the most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia elects its new state government on May 15th.
According to current surveys, Prime Minister Daniel Günther with the CDU in Schleswig-Holstein is well ahead of the SPD with top candidate Thomas Losse-Müller.
Citizens of Schleswig-Holstein entitled to vote who are still unsure which party to vote for can use the Wahl-O-Mat.
Based on 38 theses, they can find out with which of the 16 parties they agree best with their views.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, too, according to polls, the SPD with top candidate Thomas Kutschaty is behind the governing CDU with Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst.
Uncertain voters can also use the Wahl-O-Mat to find out which party is closest to their positions.
Corona Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance is expiring
Further corona regulations could be eliminated for companies.
The corresponding occupational safety regulation, which provides for hygiene concepts, for example, will no longer apply from May 26th if the traffic light coalition does not decide on a successor regulation.
Compare prices better in supermarkets
It is made easier for consumers to compare prices in the supermarket.
So far, for example, information about prices per 100 grams can be given on the labels.
If the customer wants to compare the same products from different manufacturers, one sign may show the price per 100 grams and the other the price per kilogram.
The customer always has to convert the prices in his head.
From May 28th it will be different: With a change in the Price Indication Ordinance, prices must also be indicated in kilograms or liters.
Online shopping is becoming more transparent
Users of digital markets such as Amazon or Ebay should benefit from more transparency when a corresponding EU directive takes effect in Germany on May 28th.
Consumers then find out, for example, according to which criteria products are listed in a ranking.
Comparison portals must then also provide information about which providers they consider when comparing prices.
Census polls start in May
After eleven years there is another census in Germany, the census.
From May 15, millions of Germans will be asked about themselves and their living conditions.
What is new this year is that there will be questions on three new topics that are intended to enable more precise planning of housing policy.
Compared to the 2011 census, this time the additional characteristics net cold rent, heating energy source and duration and reasons for a vacancy are surveyed.
Against the background of the current housing shortage and the importance of the energy question, these results play a special role.
All the results of the census are to be published in November 2023.
However, the results of the 2011 census were published much later.
Mother's Day this year on May 8th
It takes place every year on the second Sunday in May and still comes as a surprise to many daughters and sons: Mother's Day.
This year it is May 8th.
Mother's Day is one of the few special days in Germany that has no religious background.
The day dates back to the invention of a feminist in the USA: Anna Marie Jarvis celebrated the first Mother's Day in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia in 1907.
It first took place on the Sunday after the second anniversary of her mother's death - the second Sunday in May - as the "Memorial Mother Day Meeting".
The Eurovision Song Contest takes place
The continent will have a new European champion of opulent, emotional singing on May 14, when the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) takes place in Turin.
The Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra wants to come despite the war.
According to bookmakers, Kalush Orchestra are the big favorites for victory with their song “Stefania”.
Russia has been excluded from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for this year's edition because of the war.
More breweries are increasing their beer prices
Consumers have to be prepared for higher prices for beer in supermarkets and beverage stores.
Industry observers are assuming this after a number of large brewers announced price increases well in advance for the first half of 2022 last autumn.
Krombacher and Veltins already increased their prices from the brewery ramp on April 1st.
The Radeberger Group and Bitburger announced that they would increase their prices in May.
Numbers were not mentioned.
According to estimates, crates of beer from the major Pilsner brands with 20 half-litre bottles could become around one euro more expensive.
In addition to the Corona crisis, bottlenecks in raw materials, packaging, energy and logistics are given as reasons for the rising costs.
The prices for brewing malt and new glass in particular have risen enormously.
Total lunar eclipse and rapid shooting stars
In May we are again faced with an outstanding astronomical event: a total lunar eclipse, which can be observed from Central Europe.
The cosmic shadow play takes place in the early hours of Monday, May 16th.
Unfortunately, only the first part can be followed from Germany.
The moon sets before the middle of the eclipse.
When the moon enters the umbra of the earth at 4:28 a.m., the visible part of the lunar eclipse begins.
Totality begins at 5:29 a.m.
The moon sets at 5:35 a.m. in central Germany.
The sun had already risen three minutes earlier.
The moon sets at 5:20 a.m. in Hamburg, at 5:11 a.m. in Berlin and at 5:36 a.m. in Munich.
The next lunar eclipse visible from Germany will not take place again until next year on October 28th.
Another celestial spectacle will appear again and again throughout May: shooting stars.
The May Aquarids are active.
These are fast shooting stars that enter the earth's atmosphere at around 234,000 kilometers per hour.
Its comet of origin is Halley's Comet.
The maximum is expected around May 5th.
Due to the fact that the radiant is quite low here, we only see a few shooting stars in this country.
But in southern countries up to twenty meteors per hour can be expected.
First Friday the 13th this year
In the month of May we have a “Friday the 13th” ahead of us.
In superstition, this date is considered the day when a particularly large number of misfortunes occur.
However, for the vast majority of people, little will change on the first Friday of this kind this year.
At the very least, the 13th is unlikely to bring any more bad luck or misfortune than any other day of the month.
Statisticians have long since proven that the supposedly ominous date does not pose any more dangers than other days.
Sandra Maischberger gets the second slot
Viewers of the ARD talk by Sandra Maischberger can be happy: from May 3rd, she will not only be shown weekly on Wednesdays as before, but also on Tuesdays in the ARD main program after the "Daily Topics".
With the additional slot on Tuesday, ARD is in competition with ZDF, where several times a week the talk show “Markus Lanz” can be seen in the main program later in the evening.