Slavic calendar. The name of the Old Slavonic months of the year What does the month of October mean?

Each year is divided into 4 seasons, and each season into 3 months. As a result, every year we live 12 months and each of them is unique in its own way and is associated for us with different events. Naturally, each month has its own unique name. Do you know where these names came from? In this article we will tell you about the origin of the names of the months.

1. January. The first month of the new year received its name in honor of the god Janus - the god of time, doors and gates. Symbolically, this can be deciphered as “Door to the New Year.”

2. February. February has always been considered the coldest month of the year. It is not for nothing that in the times of the Slavs it was called lute (“severe frost”). But the month of February itself is named after the Etruscan god Februus, the god underground kingdom.

3. March. The first month of spring was named after the ancient Roman god of war, Mars, father of Romulus. But what does spring and the god of war have to do with it? and despite the fact that Mars was not only the god of war, but also the god of cultivators and rural workers. The ancient Slavs called this month “thawed area” because the snow began to melt and the first thawed patches appeared.

4. April. This month was again named after the ancient god, or rather ancient greek goddess Aphrodite. In this month, everything blooms, a spring mood appears, which is why the Slavs also called this month pollen and birch.

5. May. The warmest month of spring was again named after the goddess, or rather the ancient Roman goddess Maia, who personified the fertile earth and blossoming nature. The Slavs called this month “Traven”.

6. June. The first summer month was named after the famous Roman goddess Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter, the goddess of fertility, the mistress of rain and the guardian of marriage. The Slavs called this month izok (“grasshopper”) or cherven.

7. July. The hottest summer month was named, surprisingly, not in honor of a god or goddess, but in honor of the well-known Roman emperor. Before this, July was called "Quintilius", which meant "Fifth", and it was fifth because earlier a year began not in January, but in March.

8. August. The name of this month also comes from the famous Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus. Before this, the month was called “Sextile,” which meant (I think everyone understood) “Sixth.” As mentioned earlier, the year in the Roman calendar used to begin in March, which is why August was the sixth month. The Slavs called this month “Serpen”, i.e. time to mow the grass.

9. September. The name simply came from the word “Seven” (Septem - September). I think there is no need to comment here. Everything has been said above. Our ancestors called this month “Gloomy” due to the fact that during this month the sky began to frown.

10. October. Everything is similar here. The fantasy is over. The number “Eight” in Latin was pronounced “Octo”, hence October (October), i.e. eighth month. The Slavs also called kneading simply - Listopad.

11. November. No comments. Novem was translated as “Nine”, i.e. ninth month (November).

12. December. First winter month and the last month of the passing year! But it was also named after its serial number “Tenth” (Decem - December).

And what do we see? The first 6 months were named in honor of the ancient Gods and Goddesses, the two summer months were named in honor of the ancient Roman emperors, and the last four did not have names, so they have serial numbers. But nevertheless it is very interesting topic and you now know the origin of the names of all the months.

How and why months are called in Slavic languages.

In many languages, including English and Russian, the names of the months have a Latin base. In Slavic languages, each month had its own name, and more than one.

January

Latin: Januarius. Named after the god Janus.
The Slavic name “Prosinets” - either from “to shine” - means the rebirth of the Sun, or from the appearing blue of the sky in January. The Little Russian name for January is “sochen”. After gray December, the colors of nature become rich and bright.
In Ukrainian the month is called "sichen"
In Belarusian - “stuzen”

February

Latin: Februarius. Named after the festival of the purification of Februa.
Slavic name "Sechen", "Bokogrey", "Vetroduy" and "Lute"
Time to cut trees to clear the land for arable land. Bokogray - the cattle comes out to bask in the sun. It was also called “low water” (the time between winter and spring). The winds in February whip with cold. But he’s still angry. Due to frequent blizzards and blizzards, February was also called “windstorm” and “lute”. In February there are major frosts, which are respectively called: Kashcheev (February 2), Velesov (February 11).
In Ukrainian, the month is called "lyuty"
In Belarusian it is "fierce"

March

Latin: Martius. Named after the god Mars.
The Slavic name is "Dry" - the earth dries up from the falling snow.
This month was also called Zimobor, protalnik, berezozol (March). The indigenous Slavic-Russian names of this month in the old days in Rus' were different: in the north it was called dry or dry from the spring warmth, drying up all moisture, in the south - berezozol, from the action of the spring sun on the birch, which at this time begins to fill with sweet sap and sprouts buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, thawed snow - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear.
In the Ukrainian language the month is called “berezen”. Ukrainian spring comes earlier.
In Belarusian - "sakavik"

April

Latin: Aprilis. Named after the goddess Aphrodite or from the Latin word aperire - to open.
The ancient Russian names for the month of April were: brezen, snowgon - streams run, taking with them the remains of snow, or also - pollen, because it is then that the first trees begin to bloom, spring blooms.
In Ukrainian the month is called "kviten"
In Belarusian it means “handsome”. It’s beautiful in Belarus in April.

May

Latin: Maius. On behalf of the ancient Roman goddess of spring Maia.
The Slavic name is “Traven”, “herbal” - a riot of herbs and greenery. Nature is blooming.
In Ukrainian the month is called "traven"
In Belarusian - "May"

June

Latin: Junius. On behalf of the ancient Roman goddess Juno, wife of the god Jupiter.
In the old days, the indigenous Russian name for the month of June was izok. Izokom was the name given to a grasshopper, of which there was particular abundance this month. Another name for this month is worm, especially common among Little Russians, from chervetsa or worm; This is the name given to a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. In addition, in the old days, the month of June was very often popularly called Kresnik - from the cross (fire), and at the same time from the day of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala).
In Ukrainian the month is called "cherven"
In Belarusian - “cherven”

July

Latin: Julius. Named after Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Previously called quintilium from the word quintus - fifth, because it was the 5th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
In our old days, it was called, like June, - cherven - from fruits and berries, which, ripening in July, are distinguished by their particular reddishness (scarlet, red). This month is also called Lipets - from the linden tree, which usually appears in in full bloom. July is also called the “crown of summer”, since it is considered the last month of summer, or also a “sufferer” - from hard summer work, a “thunderstorm” - from strong thunderstorms.
In Ukrainian the month is called "Lipen"
In Belarusian - "lipen"

August

Latin: Augustus. Named after Emperor Augustus in 8 BC. Previously called sextilium from the word sextus - sixth, because it was the 6th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
The Slavic name "Serpen" means time to mow wheat. In the north it was called “glow” - from the radiance of lightning; in the south, “serpen” comes from a sickle used to remove grain from the fields. Often this month is given the name “Zornik”, in which one cannot help but see a modified old name “glow”. The name “stubble”, I think, would be unnecessary to explain.
In Ukrainian the month is called "serpen"
In Belarusian - almost the same - "zhniven"

September

Latin: September. From the word septem - seven, because it was the 7th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was “ruin”, from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer. He received the name “gloomy” due to his weather differences from others - the sky often begins to frown, it rains, autumn is coming in nature.
In the Ukrainian language the month is called "Verseny"
In Belarusian - “verasen”

October

Latin: October. From the word octo - eight, because it was the 8th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
The Slavic name is “Listopad” - well, everything is obvious here. It also bore the name “pazdernik” - from pazderi, kostriki, since in this month they begin to crush flax, hemp, and manners. Otherwise - a “dirty man”, from the autumn rains that cause bad weather and dirt, or a “wedding man” - from the weddings that are celebrated at this time in peasant life.
In Ukrainian the month is called "Zhovten"
In Belarusian - “kastrychnik”

November

Latin: November. From the word novem - nine, because it was the 9th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
Slavic name "Gruden". In the old days, this month was called the breast month itself, or chest month, from the piles of frozen earth with snow. In general, in the ancient Russian language, the frozen winter road was called the chest path. In the Dahl Dictionary, the regional word pile is “frozen ruts along the road, frozen hummocky dirt.”
In Ukrainian the month is called "leaf fall"
In Belarusian - “listapad”

December

Latin: December. From the word decem - ten, because it was the 10th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
The Slavic name "Studen" means a cold month, after all.
In Ukrainian the month is called "breast"
In Belarusian he is Snezhan

We present to your attention several options for reconstructions of the Slavic month book, comparison and order of months in different Slavic languages, as well as a detailed explanation of the origin and meaning of the names of each of the months of the year. It should also be noted that true Slavic calendar was sunny; it was based on 4 seasons (seasons), each of which celebrated the holiday of the solstice (rotate, solstice, equinox). With the advent of Christianity in Rus', they began to use a lunar calendar, which is based on the period of changing phases of the Moon, as a result of which a certain “demolition” of dates has now formed by 13 days ( a new style). The dates of Slavic pagan holidays (many of which were replaced over time by Christian names) are calculated according to the old true style and “lag” behind the new calendar by 13 days.

Table 1. Variants of names of Slavic months.

Origin of the names of the months

The Romans originally had a lunar year of 10 months, starting in March and ending in December; as indicated, by the way, by the names of the months. For example, the name of the last month - December - comes from the Latin "deka" (deca), which means tenth. However, soon, according to legend - under King Numa Pompilius or Tarquinius I (Tarquinius the Ancient) - the Romans switched to lunar year at 12 months containing 355 days. To bring it into line with the solar year, they began to add an extra month (mensis intercalarius) from time to time already under Numa. But anyway civil year with holidays designed for certain seasons, did not coincide at all with the natural year. The calendar was finally put in order by Julius Caesar in 46 BC: he introduced a solar year of 365 days with the insertion of one day in every 4th year (for us this day is February 29); and set the year to begin in January. The calendar and annual cycle were named after the great Roman general and statesman Julian

The months were designated by the same names as now. The first six months are named after the Italic gods (with the exception of February, which is named after a Roman holiday), July and August were called Quintilis (fifth) and Sextilis (sixth) until the time of Emperor Augustus, they received the names Julius and Augustus in honor of Julius Caesar and Augustus . Thus, the names of the months were as follows: Januarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Majus, Junius, Quintilis (Julius), Sexlilis (Augustus), September (from the Latin "septem" - seven, seventh), October (from the Latin "okto" " - eight, eighth), November (from the Latin "novem" - nine, ninth) and, finally, December (tenth). In each of these months, the Romans counted the same number of days as they count today. All names of months are adjective names in which the word “mensis” (month) is either implied or added. Calendae was the name of the first day of each month.

In Rus', the word “calendar” has been known only since the end of the 17th century. It was introduced by Emperor Peter I. Before that, it was called the “monthly word”. But no matter what you call it, the goals remain the same - fixing dates and measuring time intervals. The calendar gives us the opportunity to record events in their chronological sequence, serves to highlight special days(dates) in the calendar - holidays, and for many other purposes. Meanwhile, the ancient names of the months are still in use among Ukrainians, Belarusians and Poles!

January so named because it was dedicated by the ancient Romans to Janus, the god of Peace. In our country, in the old days, it was called “Prosinets”, it is believed, from the blueness of the sky beginning to appear at this time, radiance, from intensification, with the addition of day and sunlight. January 21, by the way, is the Prosinets holiday. Take a closer look at the January sky and you will understand that it fully lives up to its name. The Little Russian (Ukrainian) name for January “sechen” (sichen, sіchen) indicates either the turning point of winter, which, according to popular belief, occurs in January, the cutting of winter into two halves, or the bitter, severe frosts. Some researchers identify the root "blue" in the word "prosinets", believing that this name was given to January for the early twilight - with "blue". Some scientists associated the name with the ancient folk custom go house to house during Svyatki and ask for treats. In Rus', the month of January was originally the eleventh month, for March was considered the first, but when the year began to be counted from September, January became the fifth; and, finally, since 1700, since the change made in our chronology by Peter the Great, this month became the first.

February among the Romans it was the last month of the year and was named after Febra, the ancient Italian god to whom it was dedicated. The indigenous Slavic-Russian names for this month were: “sechen” (a common name for it with January) or “snezhen”, probably from snowy time or from the verb “sech for snowstorms”, common in this month. In Little Russia, from the 15th century, following the imitation of the Poles, the month of February began to be called “fierce” (or lute), for it is known for its fierce blizzards; The villagers of the northern and middle Russian provinces still call him “side warmer,” because at this time the cattle come out of the barns and warm their sides in the sun, and the owners themselves warmed their sides at the stove. In modern Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish languages This month is still called “fierce”.

March. The Egyptians, Jews, Moors, Persians, ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as, once upon a time, our Slavic ancestors, began the year with this month. The name "March" was given to this month by the Romans in honor of the god of war, Mars; it was brought to us from Byzantium. The true Slavic names of this month in the old days in Rus' were different: in the north it was called “dry” (little snow) or “dry” because of the spring warmth, drying up all moisture; in the south - “berezozol”, from the action of the spring sun on the birch, which at this time begins to fill with sweet juice and buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, thawed snow - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear (hence another name drip). The month of March is often called “flight”, since it marks the beginning of spring, the harbinger of summer, and together with the months following it - April and May - it constitutes the so-called “flight” (the holiday of which is celebrated on May 7).

April comes from the Latin verb "aperire" - to open, it actually indicates the opening of spring. The Old Russian names for this month were berezen (brezen) - by analogy with March; snowrunner - streams run, carrying with them the remains of snow, or even pollen, because that’s when the first trees begin to bloom, spring blossoms.

May. Latin name This month was given in honor of the goddess Mai, just like many others, it came to us from Byzantium. The Old Russian name for this month was herbal, or herbal (herbalist), which reflected the processes occurring in nature at this time - a riot of growing herbs. This month was considered the third and last summer month. This name is known in the Ukrainian language.

June. The name of this month comes from the word "Iunius", given to it in honor of the goddess Juno by the Romans. In the old days, the original Russian name for this month was izok. Izokom was the name given to a grasshopper, of which there was particular abundance this month. Another name for this month is worm, especially common among Little Russians, from chervetsa or worm; This is the name given to a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. This month is also called multi-colored, because nature gives birth to an indescribable riot of colors. flowering plants. In addition, in ancient times, the month of June was very often popularly called kresnik - from the word “kres” (fire).

July comes from the name "Julius", given in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar, and, of course, has Roman roots. In our old days, it was called, like June - cherven - from the fruits and berries that ripen in July and are distinguished by their special reddishness (scarlet, red). The folk-poetic expression "red summer" can serve as a literal translation of the name of the month, in which attention is drawn to the brightness summer sun. Another original Slavic name for July is lipets (or lipen), which is now used in Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages like the month of linden blossoms. July is also called the “crown of summer”, since it is considered the last month of summer (July 20 is celebrated as “Perun’s Day”, after which, according to folk beliefs, autumn is coming), or even a "sufferer" - from the suffering summer work, a "thunderstorm" - from severe thunderstorms.

August. Like the previous one, this month received its name from the name of the Roman emperor - Augustus. The indigenous ancient Russian names of the month were different. In the north it was called “glow” - from the radiance of lightning; in the south, “serpen” comes from a sickle used to remove grain from the fields. Often this month is given the name “glow”, in which one cannot help but see a modified old name “glow”. The name “stubble” will be unnecessary to explain, because in this month the time came for harvesting the fields and harvesting. Some sources interpret the glow as associated with the verb “to roar” and denotes the period of roaring of animals during estrus, while others suggest that the name of the month refers to thunderstorms and evening lightning.

September- “September”, the ninth month of the year, among the Romans it was the seventh, which is why it got its name (from the Latin word “septem” - seventh). In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was “ruin” - from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer. The Old Russian form of the verb “ryuti” (to roar) is known, which when applied to autumn wind meant “roar, blow, call.” He received the name “gloomy” due to his weather differences from others - the sky often begins to frown, it rains, autumn is in nature. Another name for this month, “heather,” is explained by the fact that the heather begins to bloom at this time.

October- "October", the tenth month of the year; among the Romans it was the eighth, which is why it got its name (from the Latin “octo” - eight). Our ancestors know it under the name “leaf fall” - from the fall of leaves in the autumn, or “pusdernik” - from puzderi, bonfire, since in this month flax, hemp, and habits begin to crush. Otherwise - a “dirty man”, from the autumn rains that cause bad weather and dirt, or a “wedding man” - from the weddings that peasants celebrate at this time.

November. We call the eleventh month of the year "November", but among the Romans it was the ninth, which is why it got its name (nover - nine). In the old days, this month was called the month itself (breast or thoracic), from piles of frozen earth with snow, since in general in the ancient Russian language the winter frozen road was called the chest path. In Dahl's dictionary, the regional word "heap" means "frozen ruts along the road, frozen hummocky mud."

December. “Decemvriy” (lat. december) is our name for the 12th month of the year; among the Romans it was tenth, which is why it got its name (decem - ten). Our ancestors called it “studen”, or “icy” - from the cold and frosts common at that time.

The word “month” itself indicates the connection between the allocation of such a chronological period and the lunar cycles and has pan-European roots. Consequently, the length of the month ranged from 28 to 31 days; it is not yet possible to more accurately indicate the count of days by month.

Table 2. Comparative names of the months in different Slavic languages.

In the "Ostromir Gospel" (11th century) and other ancient written monuments, January corresponded to the name Prosinets (since it became lighter at that time), February - Sechen (since it was the deforestation season), March - dry (since in some places the earth was already drying up), April - birch, berezozol (names associated with birch beginning to bloom), May - grass (from the word "grass"), June - izok (grasshopper), July - cherven, serpen (from the word "sickle", indicating the time of harvest), August - glow (from "glow"), September - ryuen (from "roar" and the roar of animals), October - leaf fall, November and December - breast (from the word "heap" - frozen rut on the road) , sometimes - jelly.

Thus, the Slavs did not have common ideas about the order and names of the months. From the entire mass of names, Proto-Slavic names are revealed, which indicates the unity of the origin of the calendar. The etymology of names is also not always clear and gives rise to various kinds of disputes and speculation on this topic. The only thing that most reenactors agree on is the connection between the names and natural phenomena, characteristic of the annual cycle.

We often take some concepts in our lives for granted, without thinking about their origin. Like, for example, we don’t think about the origin of the word “mother”. We just know that this letter combination denotes the woman who gave birth to us (in most cases). Likewise, I always took the names of the months for granted. As a child, I thought that “January” was a letter combination that was invented to denote the name of the first month. Meanwhile, even now, I recently caught myself thinking that I know the meanings of only a few names of the months. And since the names of some months have meanings, I assumed that for the rest they were probably connected with something. :) This thought already occurred to me when I lived in Ukraine. In Ukrainian, the names of the months have Slavic roots, and therefore can be interpreted by us. In the Russian language, the calendar comes from Latin words, and therefore is perceived by our consciousness as a “set of letters.”

Before moving on to the main issue - the actual names of the months, I would like to briefly touch on the history of the emergence of our modern calendar. It all started with Ancient Egypt. The first astronomers of this country, 4000 years ago, calculated that the period between the heliacal risings of Sirius (i.e., the moments when the star appears visible in the sky for the first time in a year) lasts 365 and 1/4 days. True, they adopted a 365-day period for the year, but did not come up with a leap year. Therefore, every 1460 years (365*4) the date of the New Year celebration returned to its old place. The primary date was set as the 1st day of the month of Thoth. And this whole cycle was called the Great Year of Sothis (Sothis was called in Ancient Egypt called Sirius). Next New Year Sothis will occur in 3059 AD. That's it in a nutshell. Let's put aside the ancient Egyptian calendar for now.

Later in the world many more calendars were developed: Babylonian, Greek, Roman. But they were all inaccurate and had a number of shortcomings. However, it is worth stopping at the Roman one, because it has direct relation to the modern calendar.

The first Roman calendar, according to legend, was approved by the legendary founder of Rome himself, Romulus. It was an adapted system lunar calendar ancient Greeks. The year consisted of 304 days, which were divided into ten months. The remaining 64 and 1/4 days were not taken into account, resulting in serious problems, expressed in constant seasonal shifts. Rome's second ruler, Numa Pompilius, borrowed from the Etruscan calendar and introduced an additional two months, January and February, to bring the calendar year into line with the seasons. The first month then was March, and the last month was December. What is noteworthy is that at first January was inserted before the first month, and February after the last. Thus, February preceded January and only in 452 BC. February was moved to a place between January and March. But this year was not perfect either. Still based on the phases of the moon, it was 355 days, not coinciding with the solar year by 10 and 1/4 days. As a result, in order to adjust for seasonality, an additional month was inserted every few years - Mercedonia.

The decision to add an additional month was made by the Pontifex Maximus, the head of the priestly college. Considering that elected positions in Rome had a term, this served as an excellent political instrument, for a month-long extension of someone's power. Which was used in every possible way by the priests for their own benefit.

All this confusion and the corruption associated with it was abolished by Julius Caesar, who introduced a new calendar, which would later be called the Julian. He returned the Egyptian solar year, but with the difference that he designated every 4th year as a leap year. Which helped prevent a shift of one day every four years. The word "leap year" comes from the Latin "bis sextus" and means "second sixth". The days were then counted in relation to the “calends” - the first days of the next month. So February 24 (February was the last month of the year, we remember) was “the sixth day before the calendars of March.” Julius Caesar ordered this date to be doubled during a leap year, so that there were two “sixth days.” Thus, the first leap year was 45 BC. It was decided to shift the beginning of the year to the first of January due to the fact that on this day the consuls elected by the people's assembly took office. Accordingly, the first year according to the Julian calendar was also 45 BC. Despite the fact that the political will to change the calendar was Caesar, one more person should be mentioned, the Alexandrian scientist, philosopher and astronomer Sosigenes, who developed this calendar. In Russia it is customary to call the Julian calendar "old style".

However, this calendar also had a small error, namely, it contained 11 minutes more than in the real period of our planet’s revolutions around the Sun. This error led to a discrepancy between the dates of Easter and the actual ones. lunar phases. Therefore, attempts were made repeatedly in Rome to eliminate this discrepancy. And so in 1582 AD. on behalf of the Pope Gregory XIII, German astronomer Christopher Clavius ​​and Italian – Aloysius Lilius prepared new project calendar According to this project, the date of October 4 was announced as October 15, thus correcting the “accumulated” error. In addition, a new accounting rule was introduced leap years. In the Julian calendar, every fourth year was considered a leap year. In Gregorian, every hundredth year was excluded from the list of leap years, but every four hundredth year was counted as a leap year. Therefore, 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 and 1800 were not. This system also has an error, but much smaller, which will become visible over a period of 10,000 years. The calendar, as you may have guessed, was named after Pope Gregory XIII. Russia, however, was in no hurry to adopt it, and we switched to the “new style” only in 1918, when, by the decision of the Council of People’s Commissars of January 26 (signed by Lenin himself), it was decided to count the day after January 31, 1918 as February 14th.

These are the pies. Around this point, according to my calculations, most readers should have a fair indignation: “Hey, author! What kind of garbage?! You promised to explain the names of the months!” That’s why I’m done with calendars and moving on to the names of the months. :)

JANUARY

The month got its name in honor of the ancient Roman god Janus, who was considered the god of the beginning and the end, opening and closing all paths. He was depicted as a man with two faces looking in opposite directions. A young face looks to the future, and an old face looks to the past. In principle, a very suitable allegory for the beginning of the year. On the first of January, we all first look back, looking at the year we have lived, and then we begin to look forward. :)

FEBRUARY

Many believe that February, like January, borrowed from the Etruscans, is also dedicated to the local god, Febru. This was the god of the underworld, an analogue of the Roman Pluto. IN underground world The Kingdom of the Dead was located. And in this month it was customary to make sacrifices to the ancestors who lived in the domain of Februs. However, this is not entirely true. The name of the month comes from Februalia - cleansing rituals performed during this period, which, by the way, coincided with the rainy season. This word actually came into Latin from the Etruscans and meant the same thing as in Etruscan - purification. The god Februs appeared a little later, and was himself named after the cleansing festivals, becoming their patron.

MARCH

March was dedicated to Mars. As I already wrote, this month was considered the first by the ancient Romans, since it was in it that the the vernal equinox, and all agricultural work began. Traditionally, it was believed that this particular month was favorable for the start of military campaigns, and therefore it was in March that abundant sacrifices were made to the god of war.

APRIL

There is a version that April got its name from the Latin verb “aperire” - to open. Well, that is. as if “spring is opening” in it. In fact, this version is not very close to me, since then it is not clear why March is the first month, and even more so since in warm Italy spring definitely comes in March. I prefer the divine version. Like previous months, I think it would be logical to associate April with the name of the Etruscan goddess Apru, who was an analogue Greek Aphrodite. This hypothesis is also supported by the fact that on the first day of April Veneralia were held - large festivals dedicated to this goddess.

May is believed to be named after the Greek goddess Maia, who was associated with fertility. On the first day of this month, sacrifices were made to the goddess, and the Romans called her the Good Goddess. It is noteworthy that Greek name can be translated as “midwife” - who takes birth, but the Roman equivalent of the name - Maiesta - is already translated as “Great” or “Elder”. By the way, there is another version of the origin of the name. The Roman poet Ovid wrote that the name of the month came from "maiores" - "elders" and was dedicated to the elderly, and the name of the next month, June, came from "iuniores" - "younger" and was dedicated to the youth.

JUNE

Apart from Ovid's version mentioned above, the most accepted version is that the name of the month is dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage. June was considered the most favorable month for weddings. Plutarch also mentioned the favorableness of June for marriage. There is also a version that the month could have been named in honor of Lucius Junius Brutus, one of the first two consuls of Rome. Why not? Especially as we approach July and August. :)

JULY

In the memorable year 45 BC. The Roman Senate approved the idea of ​​naming the fifth month of the year in honor of Julius Caesar. Actually, the honor was rendered as part of the reform of the transition to a new calendar. Julius Caesar was born on July 12, and therefore this particular month was named after him. Before the reform, the month was called “quintilis”, which simply means “fifth” (if you count from March).

AUGUST

As you might guess, the ambitious Augustus Octavian was haunted by Caesar's laurels. Therefore, the Senate (perhaps under pressure, perhaps not) decided to name another month in his honor. Augustus chose the next month after July, since for him it was memorable and associated with the triumph of the capture of Alexandria. What is noteworthy is that after calendar reform this month became the eighth month, and Augustus's family name - Octavian - comes from the Roman numeral "eight". And he also died in August, which is symbolic. The word “August” itself comes from the Latin verb “augere” - “to exalt”, i.e. “augustus” - “exalted (by the gods). Augustus was not his name. It was rather an epithet. At birth he was named, as we remember, Gaius Octavius ​​Furinus.

SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER

The history of the remaining names is very prosaic. They are preserved from the ancient Roman calendar, which had 10 months, you remember. The names themselves come from Latin numerals and are translated as serial numbers: September - “seventh”, October - “eighth”, etc.

Here you go. That seems to be it. I hope it was interesting and informative. Personally, I received great pleasure, because while I was writing the note, I learned a lot of new interesting details. See you again in my “Interesting” section! :)

Many will be interested to know where the names of the seasons come from, why they are called “winter”, “spring”, “summer” and “autumn”. Moreover, why is each season divided into three months? Why do all twelve months have such interesting names?

(Leonardo Bassano "January". The article uses illustrations by Leonardo Bassano from the series "The Seasons" Leandro Bassano " From the Series "The Seasons")

In fact, the origin of the seasons is very ancient. Mentions of the names were found in ancient chronicles, in which people of those times talked a lot about mythical and fairy-tale creatures.

How the seasons came to be

The appearance of the names of the seasons of the year is closely related to the mythical legend when the First People existed on Earth, that is, animals, plants and celestial bodies. At that time, the elderly Sun and Moon, who had two daughters, had power over the entire Earth. The sun was so hot on the Earth that people asked the sky to do something about it and restore balance.

(Leonardo Bassano "February")

There lived two brothers on Earth who decided to hit on beautiful girls, but their father didn't like them very much. Old Man Luna decided to punish the brothers for their insolence and subjected them to difficult tests, in the hope that they would die. But everything happened the other way around. The old man, who wanted to measure his strength with the young, tripped himself up and as a result suffered defeat.

(Leonardo Bassano "March")

When the young man came home, he pretended that he did not know where the old man had gone. Later, when he was resting on the shore, the Moon appeared to him and said that he had arrived in heaven, where he liked it, and he wanted to take his wife and daughters there. The young man helped him with this. So one daughter became the Northern Star, because she ended up in the north, the other - the Southern Star. An old man and an old woman - the Moon and the Sun - are walking along the road where we see them every day today.

Thus, order and balance were restored on Earth, resulting in the appearance of four seasons.

Origin of the names of the seasons

There is another legend. They say that the Earth was once ruled by the good sorceress Lyria, who divided everything equally between the inhabitants. The earth was inhabited by mythical creatures: various fairies, midgets, unicorns, gnomes and nymphs. The sorceress had three sisters who helped rule the Earth. But the idyll did not last long.

(Leonardo Bassano "April")

One day, Evil came to Earth - the witch Zlukenferia, who secretly entered the sisters’ home and wanted to wipe them off the face of the planet so that no one would even remember them. Maybe she would have succeeded if the sisters weren’t so strong. Despite the fact that the witch caught them unexpectedly, the sisters were still able to make the evil sorceress’ spell turn against her at the last moment.

(Leonardo Bassano "May")

Thus, the four sisters greet us with kindness every season as they have turned into Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring. And such names appeared from the following meanings: spring - the suspension of the axis, autumn - the support of the axis, summer - the flying of the sun, winter - the sun in the pit.

Origin of the names of the months of the year

The names of the twelve months also have their own interesting story. Winter for us begins in December, which is ancient Rome was known as the “tenth”, and to the Slavs as the “snowman”. This name of the month is due to the fact that at this time it is very cold, snowy and frosty. Residents of the villages practically did not leave their houses, warming themselves on warm and hot stoves.

(Leonardo Bassano "June")

To appease two-faced god Janus, the second winter month was named in his honor - January or “section”. At that time, it was believed that God connects the past and the future, stands guard over the entrances and exits of premises, and most importantly, guards the entrance to afterlife. Most of all, the sailors in Italy believed in him, who considered him their patron.

(Leonardo Bassano "July")

It is believed that the name of the month of February is closely associated with Februus, the god of the underworld. In February, many atoned for their sins and cleansed their body and soul. This is a month of raging blizzards, blizzards and frosts; it was also called “fierce”.

(Leonardo Bassano "August")

With the onset of the first spring days people began to prepare for military campaigns, so the first month was named after the god of war - Mars. Today we know him as March. The ancient Slavs called it “berezen”; the earth began to dry out from the snow.

(Leonardo Bassano "September")

With the opening of the first buds on the trees and the heating of the earth by the sun's rays, April came, which is translated as “opening.” For many it was the month of “kveten”.

In the ancient Slavic calendar, May is known as “traven”. So they named it in honor of the spring ruler Maya - the goddess of spring.

(Leonardo Bassano "October")

June comes from Juno, who was the goddess and patroness of all women. Our ancestors called it “worm”, since it was at this time that the cherry blossoms turned red, and various insect pests gathered in the gardens.

(Leonardo Bassano "November")

June - on behalf of the great Julius Caesar. But to the Slavs it is known as “lipen”. At this time, the linden blossoms wildly.

The name of the latter comes from the name of Emperor Augustus summer month- August or “serpen” - since the harvest is taking place.

(Leonardo Bassano "December")

The autumn months have names that correspond to Latin serial numbers: seven, eight, nine. September comes from “spring” because the heather begins to bloom at this time. In October, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off, which is why it was called “yellow.” November was characterized by the first frosts and icy roads, as well as the last leaves falling - “leaf fall”.