Calendar history

[Coldicote]

The last four months of of the year, September, October, November, December, by their formation Sept (7). Oct (8). Nov(9) and Dec(10) indicate that there must have been only ten months in the year at some stage. Where did the other two months come from to make a 12 month year? Does anyone know the history? It would also seem to have a bearing on the time Christmas is celebrated.

[NazNomad]

January - ME Januari(us), OE Januarius, translation of Latin Januarius, named after JANUS, god of beginnings.
February - ME OE Februarius from Latin Februarius, named for Februa, the feast of purification.
March - ME March(e), from Latin Martius, (month of) Mars.
April - ME Averil, OF Avril, Latin Aprilis mensis (month). The name may derive from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
May - ME OE Maius, Latin Maius mensis (month), from the Greek Maia, goddess of spring (growth).
June - ME Jun(e), OE Iunius, from Latin mensis Junius, named after the goddess Juno, Queen of the gods.
July - ME Julie, OE Julius, from Latin Julius (Caesar) after whom it was named in 44 BC. The original name was quintilis, fifth month in the early Roman calendar.
August - ME OE Agustus from Latin Augustus (Caesar) 8 BC. The original name was sextilis, sixth month in the early Roman calendar.
September - ME Septembre from Latin September, seventh month in the early Roman calendar
October - ME OE from Latin October, eighth month in the early Roman calendar
November - ME OE from Latin November, ninth month of the early Roman calendar, from novem NINE
December - ME Decembre from OF and Latin December, tenth month of the early Roman calendar (decem TEN + membri from mens MONTH + ri suffix).

http://www.calendar-o...dar-name-origins.html

[jno]

from memory, without looking it up, Julius Caesar and then Augustus introduced months named after themselves. I'm open to correction on this.

Christmas came long after this.

[MarkRae]

http://tinyurl.com/3xydesc

[jno]

okay, it seems March was the first month, named after Mars, god of war - because soldiers didn't fight over winter, it marked the start of their year.

[starone]

I love these old stories. I always thought it was Julius Caesar messing about with the calender because he wanted to put his own name in. Should have been Narcissus! Also didn't Janus have two faces, one looking back to the old year and one looking forward to the new year?

[Buenchico]

Blame the Romans!
http://www.indepthinfo.com/months/

The day on which Christmas is celebrated is generally assumed to have come about simply because Christians took over an existing winter festival (possibly linked to the winter solstice).

However the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one, in the 18th century, meant that some countries kept December 25th as Christmas Day but others moved the date to keep the festival to one year after it last occurred. (Hence Christmas Day in some countries occurs in January).

That change between the two calendars continues to cause historians many problems, not least because different countries swapped over at different times. In England, in 1752, the day after September 2nd was September 14th.

Chris

[jno]

... and people rioted in the streets demanding their 12 days back.

[Coldicote]

At 00.39 I really must get some sleep, but many thanks for your interesting and knowledgeable answers. I'll have another look again in the morning.

[dotty.]

this is why when doing family history searches in Parish Registers we need to be aware that there was a change in the calendar, in 1752
'Wednesday, 2 September 1752 was followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752. Claims that rioters demanded "Give us our eleven days" grew out of a misinterpretation of a painting by William Hogarth. After 1753, the British tax year in Britain continued to operate on the Julian calendar and began on 5 April, which was the "Old Style" new tax year of 25 March. A 12th skipped Julian leap day in 1800 changed its start to 6 April. It was not changed when a 13th Julian leap day was skipped in 1900, so the tax year in the United Kingdom still begins on 6 April.'

Anyone looking for baptisms around that time needs to be aware of the change,
25th of March (Lady Day) being the 1st day of the year.

[Coldicote]

Thanks Dotty - it's all more complex than I had imagined. Pity we can't be more guided by the natural seasons with equal divisions of time, days, etc. but I guess it would cause too much of an upset.

[mike b]

The "Give us our eleven days" riots arose quite understandably from the fact that people had worked and earned for nearly two weeks less in September, but were still expected to pay a full month's rent and taxes!

[dotty.]

if you read my link, the riots were a myth created some years after the dates were changed.

[jno]

well, that's very disappointing, dotty, I like a good myth.