National Maya Day – April 12, 2024

History of National Maya Day

What could be the meaning of all the dreams we see? Is our world an illusion? We do not know for sure. But we do know that the Indians used the word ‘Maya’ in situations like this. Maya means dreams and illusions. It came from Sanskrit; various other cultures also claim the word, Maya. But, the oldest usage comes from Sanskrit. Sanskrit is also one of the oldest surviving languages in the world. Maya is also a Hindu deity’s name. Some people consider her to be an avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, while others consider her the Goddess of illusions.

Greek, Spanish, Hebrew, Roman, and a few others also use the name. Whatever the culture may be, they all use the name ‘females’ only. The Greeks use the name to mean ‘good mother.’ Maya was also a prominent figure in Greek mythology. Hebrew uses the word to mean water. The name is also used to refer to the Mayan people, from the ancient civilization that was located on the American continent.

People with the last name Maya were not that prominent before the 1980s. The Social Security Administration data ranks the name as the number 61 most popular girl’s name in the U.S. The American poet and author Maya Angelou popularized the name. This ancient name managed to survive even in the modern age. The simplicity of the name and its cultural significance helped the name become popular even in our modern world.