Months of the Year

January is named after Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doorways and beginnings. Rome's consuls took office on 1 January from...

February takes its name from februa, a Roman purification ritual held in the month. It was the last month of the earliest Roman...

March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war, and was the first month of the early Roman year. That origin explains why...

April comes from the Latin Aprilis, whose origin is uncertain; ancient writers linked it to aperire, to open, as of buds, while...

May is named after Maia, a Roman earth goddess associated with growth. May Day on the 1st combines old spring festivals with...

June is named after Juno, queen of the Roman gods and protector of marriage, which may underlie its popularity for weddings. The...

July was originally Quintilis, the fifth month of the early Roman year, and was renamed Iulius in 44 BCE to honour Julius Caesar...

August, formerly Sextilis, was renamed in 8 BCE for the emperor Augustus. The popular story that a day was taken from February to...

September comes from the Latin septem, seven, as it was the seventh month of the early Roman year. The September equinox, around...

October takes its name from octo, eight, its place in the early Roman year. It contains the most famous dates of calendar reform...

November is from novem, nine, the ninth month of the early Roman year. Several Roman emperors tried to rename months after...

December comes from decem, ten, as the tenth month of the early Roman year. It contains the December solstice, around 21 or 22...

Tishrei opens the Hebrew civil year even though the Torah numbers months from Nisan, a reminder that the calendar holds two year...

Muharram is the first month of the Hijri year and one of the four sacred months in which fighting was traditionally forbidden...