Month Names in the Roman Calendar

The Roman calendar is the calendar used by the Roman kingdom and republic. The Roman calendar is usually BC. It describes the Julian calendar, established in the late 1st century by the reforms of the dictator Julius Caesar and emperor Augustus. Roman days counted forward until the next day of the three main days: the first day of the month (kalendes), the day before the middle of the month (ides), and the eight days (nones). The original calendar consisted of ten months in the spring beginning with March. While the winter period was not clarified in the calendar attributed to Romulus and Numa Pompilius, which was used at the beginning, it was later divided into two months, January and February. Having won his battle with Pompey, Caesar used his position as high priest of Rome to introduce a calendar reform in 46 BC. To avoid interfering with Roman religious ceremonies, this reform added all its days towards the end of the months, and did not hold any nones or ides, even in months lasting 31 days. When Caesar was assassinated, it was up to Augustus to fix the irregularities in the calendar. However, the revised calendar was slightly longer than the solar year. By the 16th century, the date of Easter had shifted so far from the period Equinox that Pope Gregory XIII ordered a readjustment of the calendar, thus the Gregorian calendar was born.

Ianuarius (January)

The month of January, which was translated into English in the form January, was named after the Roman god Janus. As you can see in this article, Janus, the god of beginnings and ends, had two faces facing opposite directions so that he could see the future and the past! He was also the god of doors. In the calendars of the Roman Republic, Ianuarius had 29 days. Two days were added when the calendar was rearranged by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. In the oldest Roman calendar, which the Romans believe to have been started by their legendary founder Romulus, the first month was Martius (the "Martian 'month"), and the calendar year had only ten months.

February (February)

The month, which was translated into English in the form February, was named after an ancient Roman purification festival called Februa. In the Roman calendar, Februarius was associated with the Latin word februum, meaning 'purification', and was named after the Februa, the purification ritual held on February 15 (time of the full moon) in Ancient Rome. Lupercalia was an ancient festival held from February 13 to 15 to ward off evil spirits and purify the city of Rome, ensuring health and fertility. This festival was also called Dies Februatus because of the name of February, Februa. During the festival, a young man was running around the streets of Rome with the intestines of animals and hitting anyone who came in front of him, using his hand like a whip. In this way, it was believed that women in the city would become pregnant. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I sent Lupercalia to St. Replaced it with Valentine's Day. st. Valentine's Day was celebrated as a romantic day associated with lovers after the 14th century. It is said that Julius Caesar used the Lupercalia festival to emphasize that he did not want to become emperor: During the Lupercalia festival in 44 BC, Mark Antony tried to put a golden crown on Caesar's head, but Caesar allegedly refused and later presented it to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Februarius was the shortest month of the Roman calendar, lasting 28 days in the pre-Julian calendar. Held in this month, the Parentalia was a nine-day festival honoring ancestors and encouraging the dead, while Terminalia was a series of rituals related to landmarks, possibly thought to strengthen the boundary of the year.

Martius, Mensis Martius (March)

The month of March, which was translated into English in the form of March, was named after the Roman god of war, Mars. Martius was the first month of the ancient Roman year, possibly until 153 BC. The month of March is associated with farming, military mobilization and sailing. A series of festivals related to religious ceremonies, especially the new year, dating from the earliest period of Roman history, were held this month. During the imperial period, March also saw celebrations of syncretic or foreign deities that pervaded the empire, including the cult of Isis and Cybele. After that time, March became the third month when Februarius (February) and earlier Aprilis (April) were added to the calendar. The day of March 15, known as the Idus Martiae, was noted for the Romans as a deadline for payment of debts. B.C. In 44 BC, it became famous as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which made the day of the Ides Martiae a turning point in Roman history.

Aprilis, Mensis Aprilis (April)

The month of April, which took the English form April, was named after the Latin word aperire, meaning 'to unfold', which must have been a reference to the blooming of flowers in the spring. Although it is the fourth month of the Roman calendar, Aprilis was the second of the ten months of the year in the oldest Roman calendar, beginning with March. In the calendars of the Roman Republic, April lasts 30 days, BC. During the reform that produced the Julian calendar in the mid-40s, an additional day was added to the month. As April was a busy month for farmers, it was celebrated with a series of festivals dedicated to aspects of rural life. As Roman society became urbanized over time, some ceremonies increased in importance, such as Parilia, an archaic pastoral festival celebrated as the founding day of Rome.

Maius, Mensis Maius (May)

The third month of the Roman calendar, May, is named after the Greek goddess Maia, who is also mentioned in Roman mythology. Maia is one of the Pleiades in Greek mythology and was the mother of Hermes. In ancient Roman religion and mythology, maius, which means big, is associated with size and growth, considering it is associated with the word maior. On the first day of May, Lares Praestites were honored as guardians of the city. The Romans saw May as an unlimited month. Although it began with the Flora Games (Ludi Florae), one of the most notorious holidays of the Roman calendar, mid-month lemurs were devoted to spreading the restless tones of the dead.

Iunius, Mensis Iunius (June)

In the earliest calendar attributed to Romulus by the Romans, Iunius was the fourth month in the ten-month calendar beginning with March. The month following June was called Quinctilis or Quintilis, the "fifth" month. Iunius had 29 days, up to one during the Julian reformation of the calendar in the mid-40s BC. June is named after Juno, the Roman god of marriage and childbirth and the wife of the king of the gods, Jupiter. The moon following Junius was named Julius (July) in honor of Julius Caesar. The Latin poet Ovid has claimed that Concordia derives from the word iungo, iunctus, "join" in honor of Iunius' unification of the Romans and Sabines.

Quintilis, Mensis Quintilis, Julius (July)

In the ancient Roman calendar, Quintilis or Quinctilis was the month following Junius (June) and the preceding Sextilis (August). Quintilis means "fifth" in Latin, and was the fifth month in the original calendar attributed to Romulus, beginning with Martius ("Mars' month," March ") and lasting 10 months. After a 12-month calendar reform, Quintilis became the seventh month but retained its name. B.C. In 45 BC, Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar (Julian calendar) that corrected old astronomical inconsistencies. B.C. After Julius Caesar's death in 44 BC, the month of birth, Quintilis, was changed to 'Julius' in his honor, hence July. Quintilis was under the tutelage of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Romans. The agricultural festivities for the harvest that took place in this month gradually lost their importance, and the month was dominated by the urban empire Rome by the Ludi Apollinares games (ludi) held in honor of the empire. At the end of the month, a ten-day game was held in honor of Julius Caesar.

Sextilis, Mensis Sextilis (August)

Sextilis (“sixth”) or mensis Sextilis was the Latin name for the sixth month in the Roman calendar, during the first ten months of the calendar beginning with March (Martius, “the month of Mars”). After the calendar reform, which produced a twelve-month year, Sextilis became the eighth month, but retained its name. It was renamed Augustus (August) in honor of the first Roman emperor, Augustus.

Other Months

September (September, Mensis September), October (October, Mensis October), November (November, Mensis November) and December (December, Mensis December) are named after the Roman numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10: These months are actually the Roman year of the year. It was the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months! It was called Quintilis and Sextilis, the fifth and sixth months before July and August were renamed by the Roman rulers.