The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-01-06
MEANING OF THE MONTHS,
How They Came to iio Named-Eyoiu'
ton of the Present Calendar

tiNh W thc
January begins the year and looks
both ways-towarl the year just past
and that Just coming. II was therefore
named by the Romans for their god II
war, Janus. He had two faces, AMI
was therefore called Janus Bihon',
which may be freely translated Holy
Two-front." Originally this was only
the eleventh month, and the four pro-
ceding were named from Septen, Octo,
Novem and Decem, as they then were
the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth
months. 1t would take a small volume
to explain how, as quaint old almanac
says, such skies and such sevens the
months were knocked to that ten be-
came translated into Octo. Suffice it &c
say, January begins the year now, and
the other months are to be explained in
their turn.
February was an unfortunate month
from the start. The Romans did not at
first intend to have any such month, but
finding the year all askew they added
some days at the last of it, and desig-
mated them as the days "to purify
("februare" in old Latin). Finding they
had set the time too early they put the
new month after January and measured
it by the moon. When they began to
purify" for the coming summer they
ate beans instead of meat, and therefore
named the season Lent c'lentesR-
beans). BY miscounting the days. how
ever, their year soon got two months be-
hind, and Julius Caesar overhauled it
again.
March is name of war. The Romans
named it for Mars, their war god, per-
haps because winter and spring contend
for the month. We owe the Romans one
for making this the third month, for
this laid the basis for some of our finest
old crusted jokes, such as "March
forthw addressed to the retiring presi-
dent, and the chestnutty minstrel com
mand to the stage soldiers, January,
February, March, Let us remember
the Romans, even for this little. On
second thought, let us remember them
all the more as they were not in gen.
eral way humorous people.
April is supposed to be so called be-
cause things open about that time
Latin "aperire'0. 1t is the aperient
month, so to speak. Having no mythology
the month is in this latitude sacred to
catarrh. When the new humanity does
away with all old superstition and re-
establishes pure Saxon language, as it
promises to do, this will probably be
called straightforward or Kuch-
leinmonath or Sneezereezer or some
tender little name of that instructive
sort.
May is by common consent the syno-
nym for flowers and poetry, women and
children, music and moonlight-every-
thing sweet and soft. As matter of
fact the popular poetry for the month
would suit the last half of it and the
first half of June much better The
Romans named it from Maia, daughter
of Atlas and mother of Mercury. The
Romans seldom got married in May, as
the festival of the dead was celebrated
early in the month. 1t is a bad omen to
be taken sick in this month-especially
for farmers and gardeners.
Juno was the wife of Jupiter in clas-
sic mythology and made it hot for him
hence June. Some say, however, that
it was SO called because it was the
month for young men Guniores). juno
was the great goddess of motherhood
and growing nature, and SO the Romans
honored this month with her name. She
was also subject to sudden storms OF
wrath and jealousy and was very vim
dictive, which led Virgil to ask
In heavenly minds can such resentments
dwell?
August, with its thirty-one days, is 8
perpetual reminder of how Augustus
Caesar (Octavius) slipped up ON his uncle
julius He insisted on having big
month named for himself also, and sc
pulled the whole calendar around so az
to bring two thirtyone day months to
gether in midsummer, as in midwinter
at the same time changing the name
from Sextilis, or the Sixth (Which it ther
was), to Augustus. Dog days" prevail
| in this month, because the sun is in CAM.
| Major, and Sirius rises about the samt
| time as the sun-at least SO the ancients
| thought-but it is now known that thu
heliacal rising of Sirius is peculiarly in
determinate, and therefore every dos
now has his day.
September is the month, and the 14tl
the particular day, on which the creation
of the world was completed, according
to the cid rabbins. The Russian priest
added that man was created in thi
month, because more fruit ripens in i
than in any other That was when tie,
| had no ideas of south latitude and ha,
never heard of the equator In tn,
Roman calendar it was the seventl
month, and so they named it from sep
tem-.'Seven.'
! October was the Romans eighth mont
originally, and therefore named from
octo-.eight." In the old legends i
was set down as the month in whicl
Adam and Eve were expelled from para
| disc.
This was ninth (novem) month to tn
Romans. 1t has long been notabl
month for signs and omens, as well /.
religious dates, though no one can shov
why The Saxons called it ''bloot
month";" because they slaughtered cattl
and sailed away all their winters bee
in this month. The old Romans ha
many important religious observance
in this month, and the Christians hav
adopted some of them. 1t closes mos
appropriately with general thanks
giving for the fruits of the season past
The tenth (decem) month in the oil
Roman calendar, but now the twelfth
is the month of holy memories in a
Christian lands. The yule log and tn
Christmas tree, Kris Kringle and SAINT
Claus. the vacation, the home comm!
the gifts and the holidays-these are c
December. Christmas has conquered al
classes. The old Puritans fought agains
it in vain. So by the triumph of fait
and civilization combined the season @
cold and often of sleet and rain, til
time of shortest days and longest nights
is turned into the season of creates
cheer and hilarity. j. 81. BEADLE.