Have you ever thought, where did the names of the months in the Gregorian calendar come from? There are basically three sources, Greek and Roman gods, Roman rulers, and numbers.
The Gregorian calendar we use today follows the Gregorian calendar, but is based on the ancient Roman calendar, which is believed to have been invented by Romulus, the first king of Rome around 753 B.C.
Of the 12 months in the Gregorian calendar, only 10 of them are official. The following is the origin of the month names from January to December, quoted from the Farmers Almanac website, Tuesday (3/1/2022).
January
January comes from 'Janus' the name of the Roman god of doors and gates. Janus had two faces, one looking forward and one looking back.
The Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who made January 1 the first day of the new year, felt that January was appropriate for this god's name because it was depicted with its face facing backwards and forwards, as a parable of the transition to a new year.
February
February comes from the Latin word "Februa" which means "cleansing". Februa is also the name of a festival of purification and penance which is held every 15th of this month.
March
March takes its name from the Roman god of war March or Mars. The Roman calendar originally started in March because it was the earliest month of the year when it warmed up to start wars.
During its development, a calendar reform was carried out to add the month of January. The Romans changed the order of the months several times from the founding of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.
April
April comes from the word "Aperire" which means to open. The word opening here refers to the plant buds and flowers blooming because the month of April marks the start of the plants blooming, then marks the beginning of spring.
May
May comes from the name of the Greek goddess Maia, daughter of Atlas and mother of Hermes. She is a caregiver and goddess of the Earth, explaining her connection to this month of spring, when flowers and plants bloom.
June
June comes from the name of the Roman goddess, Juno. He is a protector of marriage and women's welfare. Other sources say, June also comes from the Latin word, "Juvenis" which means young.
July
The month July was named in honor of the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar (100 BC- 44 BC) after his death. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar made one of his greatest contributions to history, namely, with the help of Sosigenes, he developed the Julian calendar, the precursor to the Gregorian calendar we use today.
August
Like July, the name August was used to honor the first Roman emperor (and grandson of Julius Caesar), Augustus Caesar (63 BC-14 AD). The name Augustus (first Roman emperor) comes from the Latin word "Augustus", which means honorable, noble and majestic.
September
September comes from the Latin word "septem" which means seven, because it was the seventh month of the early Roman calendar.
October
In the ancient Roman calendar, October was the name of the eighth month of the year. Okto comes from the Latin word "Octo", meaning eight.
November
November comes from the Latin word "Novem", which means nine. November was originally the ninth month in the ancient Roman calendar.
December
December comes from the Latin word "Decem" which means ten, because it was the tenth month of the Ancient Roman calendar.
October, November, and December changed order from 46 BC, when January became the first month of the new Julian calendar, making September the ninth month, October the tenth month, November the eleventh month and December the twelfth month of the year.