The Months of The Year & Their Different Origins & Meanings

The Months of The Year & Their Different Origins & Meanings

Introduction

The are among the most commonly used words in the English language. They are the yardsticks by which we define the turning of the Earth on its axis, and the revolution of the Earth around the Sun. They are the words we use to date the events of history and our lives. They are the seven days of the week and the twelve months of the year. But why seven days? And twelve months? And where do the very names themselves come from?

The English Names of the Months

1 ) JANUARY - The Month of Janus, the Roman God of the gateway

2 ) FEBRUARY - The Month of Februa, the Roman Festival of Purification

3 ) MARCH - The Month of Mars, the Roman God of War

4 ) APRIL - The Month of Aprilis, which means 'opening' (of leaves and buds)

5 ) MAY - The Month of Maia, Greco-Roman Goddess of Spring and Fertility

6 ) JUNE - The Month of Juno, the principal Roman goddess

7 ) JULY - Named in honour of Roman dictator, Julius Caesar

8 ) AUGUST - Named in honour of Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar

9 ) SEPTEMBER - Named simply as 'the 7th month of the year'

10) OCTOBER - Named simply as 'the 8th month of the year'

11) NOVEMBER - Named simply as 'the 9th month of the year'

12) DECEMBER - Named simply as 'the 10th month of the year'

Why Are There Twelve Months in a Year?

The reason for calendars was to record long periods of time, and to predict important events such as the flooding of the Nile in Egypt, and the only way in which ancient civilisations could do this was through the natural astronomical cycles. Three such cycles were known to the ancients - the day (rotation of the Earth), the year (revolution of the Earth around the Sun), and - significantly for the purposes of this discussion - the lunar cycle (revolution of the Moon around the Earth).