Origin Of Months Names In Gregory Calendar

We have 12 months in a year according to the Gregory Calendar but some of you might be wondering how those names existed and are still being used by us to this day. Here we would explain to show the origins of these 12 names of the month that we used as a de facto standard for the reference of our dates.

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1. Origins of January

The name of January came from the name of the Roman God, Janus, the keeper of the start and end. They also believed that god is also the protector of anyone who goes in and out of Rome through the doors and gates.

Janus is the God of Rome with two heads and one that is constantly looking towards the front representing the future while the one at the back represents the past times. The old name for January is 'lanuarius' or 'month of Janus'.

2. Origin of February

February also came from the Roman god, Februus that had an early death and with his soul purified. The Romans celebrate Februus by having a ceremony called Februalia where the Romans will provide food and sacrifice to worship Februus.

They believed if Februus was happy with their gifts, he will clean their body and souls of all the evil things that they have committed.

3. Origin of March

The name March was quite interesting as it was taken from the planet Mars which was named in conjunction with the Roman God of War, Mars. Before it was given the name March its old name would be Martius which signifies the start of war season for the Romans.

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Before being changed, March was the first month of the Roman calendar and this tradition was still kept on going by certain societies in the world today. They still celebrate their new year in March like in Bali which they call "Nyepi" or the Nowruz festival that is celebrated by the Iranians.

4. Origin of April

The origin of April is slightly different as there were many perspectives with regard to its history. It was named Aprilis from the start which brings the meaning of 'to open'. The month of Aprilis means the arrival of spring whereby trees and flowers start to bloom.

Aside from that, April was also said to have come from the word Aphrilis which is related to the Greek god, Aphrodite who is such a beauty and finesse on this Earth.

5. Origin of May

The month of May was in commemoration of Maia, the Greek god that is believed to be the mother of Hermes who happens to be the most popular Greek god of them all. Maia is worshipped as the god that keeps the Romans and their society flourishing.

The Romans believed that Maia is closely related to Bona Dea, another god that has the same characteristics as Maia. The festival to celebrate Bona Dea is also held each year in the month of May.

6. Origin of June

The name June came from the goddess of Rome, Juno, wife of Jupiter and the god that controls marriage and birth. However many different opinions have also mentioned the same thing.

The same name is also said to have come from Lucius Junius Brutus, an heir to the government of Rome that named the month as a gratitude to his family, the Junia family. This family was also believed to have had a big influence on the history of Rome.

7. Origin of July

July is the name of the month that came from one of the most popular Roman rule, Julius Caesar who is responsible for the expansion of the Roman empire. He also changes the administration structure of the people of Rome at the time with his dictatorship rule and most importantly he introduced to us the Julian calendar.

The Julian calendar is the first calendar that carries 365 days in a year as well as considering the leap year. The original name for July is Quintilis which is the month where Julius was born that brings the meaning of the fifth.

Following the position of the society at the time, Quintilis was changed to Julius by the senate of Rome in commemoration of his contributions to developing Rome.

8. Origin of August

August was named as such to remember Augustus Caesar, the first ruler of the Roman empire and heir to Julius Caesar. As commanded by Julius Caesar, Augustus becomes the next heir to his rule.

At the start, this month was named Sextilis following the position of the sixth month in the 10 months of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added in 700 BC making it 12 months in total.

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The name August starts to be used in 8BC to remember the contributions of Augustus placing it in the 8th month causing a change in the name of the following months.

9. History of September, October, November, and December

To truly understand the meaning of the month of September, October, November, and December, we need to collectively group them together. All these names came from the numbers in Latin with September being 'Septem', October being 'Octo', November being 'Novem', and December being 'Decem'.

Septem means seven, Octo means eight, Novem means nine and December as you can guess means ten. So why do all these 4 months represent the month of 9,10,11 and 12 respectively instead of 7,8,9, and 10?

This is because originally, the Romans use a 10 months system with March being the first month and ending with the month Decem which is the 10th month of the calendar. After introducing January and February as the first two months of the year. all the existing month was moved to make the whole 1 year consisting of 12 months from January until December.

Despite September until the month of December bringing the meaning of the seventh month until the 10th month, it is now represented as the 9th month until the 12th month. This is how all the months in the Gregory calendar got its name.

Source:

• IDN Times

• Kompas

Also read: Commodus - The Wildest Emperor in Rome's History