"Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have 31, except for February which stands alone."
Most of us learned some variation of this poem when we were young, but how did the months get their names?
The first European-based calendar was the Roman calendar, which was a lunar-based calendar, meaning that it followed the cycles of the moon rather than the sun. This led to the months being shorter than the actual solar year and caused a lot of confusion.
In order to fix this issue, Julius Caesar changed the calendar in 44 BCE to be more in line with what is now known as the Gregorian calendar. He introduced leap years and made January 1st the start of the new year, giving us what is now known as the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is still used today, although many countries have introduced their own variations of it.
The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today and is based on a solar year. It has 365 days with an extra day added to February every four years to account for leap years. This means that the year stays in sync with the seasons, and prevents drift away from the solar cycle.
Many cultures and religions around the world still use lunar-based calendars to mark sacred times, festivals, and holidays. These include Judaism, which uses the Hebrew calendar; Islam, which uses the Islamic calendar; and Hinduism, which follows the Vedic Calendar. Asian countries like China and Japan also traditionally follow a lunar calendar in addition to their solar or Gregorian calendars. Additionally, many indigenous cultures throughout South America and Africa also keep track of time through lunar cycles.
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The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, and it was also based on a solar year like its Gregorian counterpart. However, it had some notable differences such as adding a leap day every three years instead of four. Additionally, it was not adjusted for the effects of precession (how the earth spins around its axis), which caused its calendar months to become out of sync with the solar year over time until eventually being replaced by the much more accurate Gregorian calendar.
Over the centuries, the names of the months according to the Gregorian Calendar have become standard in the Western world.
January: Named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. Janus is the god of beginnings and endings, doorways, and transitions. He is usually depicted as having two faces, one looking to the past and the other to the future.
February: Named after the Roman festival of purification, which was held in February. February is also named after the Roman goddess Februa. Februa was the goddess of purification and cleansing. She was often associated with the month of February because it was the time when Roman families would clean their homes from top to bottom.
March: Named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars was the god of war and bloodshed. He was also considered to be the father of Romulus, the founder of Rome. The Romans believed that wars began in this month because it was when temperatures were moderate enough for soldiers to fight without getting too exhausted from the heat or cold
April: Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. She was often associated with springtime, as her name comes from the Greek word for “to bloom” or “to flower”.
May: Named after Maia, the Roman goddess of fertility. Maia was the goddess of growth and fertility. She was also considered to be the mother of Mercury, the messenger god. May was the time of year when fields were plowed and crops were planted, as well as when other animals began mating and giving birth.
June: Named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth. Juno was the queen of the gods and the patron goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was also considered to be the protector of women. In some cultures around the world, it is still considered a special time to celebrate weddings and unions between two people.
July: Named after Julius Caesar, the first Roman emperor. Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who played a pivotal role in the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. He was assassinated in 44 BC on the “Ides of March” (March 15) by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Brutus.
August: Named after Augustus Caesar, the second Roman emperor. Augustus Caesar was Julius Caesar's nephew and heir who went on to become the first Roman Emperor. He restored peace and stability to Rome after years of civil war, which is why August is named after him instead of Julius Caesar.
September: Named after the Roman god, Saturn. The Latin translation of his name is Septem, which eventually became Anglicized to September. It was believed that he reigned over the beginning of autumn when the days began to become shorter and crops were ready for harvesting.
October: The name “October” actually comes from the Latin word “Octo” which means “eight”. This is because, in the ancient Roman calendar, October was the eighth month of the year. In fact, when the calendar changed with Julius Caesar to make January 1st the start of the New Year, October became the tenth month. However, its name stayed put, and to this day we continue to refer to this amazing month (amazing because it’s my birthday month!) as October.
November: Named after the Roman god of death, Pluto. In ancient Rome, November was the ninth month of the year and it got its name from the Latin word “Novem” which means “nine”. When Julius Caesar changed the calendar in 44 BCE, however, he made January 1st the start of the New Year, so November became the eleventh month. Nevertheless, it still got its original name and today we call this cheerful season by its Roman moniker: November.
December: The Roman word for December is “Decem”, which means “ten”. This is because, in the ancient Roman calendar, December was the tenth month of the year. When Julius Caesar changed the calendar in 44 BCE to make January 1st the start of the New Year, December became the twelfth month - but kept its original name.
What is your favorite month of the year?
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