Where do the names of the months come from?
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common found calendar with no year, month, or dates on it.
The 12 months of the year and their origin stories –
The first month of the year, January, is named after the Roman god, Janus. Janus was the god of doors, January is the “door” to the new year.
February got its name from an ancient Roman festival, Februa. Februa was a festival of purification and atonement.
March is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. He was also an agricultural guardian and the child of Jupiter and Juno.
April got its name from the Latin word “aperire” which means “to open.” This came from how flowers open in spring.
May is named after the Greek goddess, Maia. Her name translates to “great” or “mother.” She helps things nourish and grow.
June is named after the Roman goddess, Juno.
July is named after Julius Caesar. It was originally named “quintilis” which is the Roman word for fifth, but Julius Caesar renamed it after his family name, Julius.
August is named after Augustus. A bit after July was renamed, Sextilis also changed the name to August after the Roman emperor, Augustus.
While the first eight months of the year have names with more interesting backgrounds, the last four weren’t as blessed with names like those.
The ninth month of the year, September, got its name from the Roman word “septimus” which means seventh. September was the seventh month of the Roman year.
The tenth month of the year, October, got its name from the Roman word “octavus” which means eighth. October was the eighth month of the Roman year.
The eleventh month of the year, November, got its name from the Roman word “nonus” which means ninth. November was the ninth month of the Roman year.
The twelfth month of the year, December, got its name from the Latin word “decem” which means tenth.
Like almost everything else in the world, all of the months’ names come from either Roman or Greek Gods / Goddesses or they’re Latin or Roman words. Their origin stories are all so similar, yet so different at the same time. So, if you have ever randomly wondered why our months are named what they are, you now know.
