The above image of the ‘Ancient’ Roman Coliseum is certainly remarkable but perhaps even more impressive is that today’s ‘modern’ Calendar actually derived from the original Roman Civil Calendar of 10 months and is still in use today. This fact is in contrast to the Roman coliseum; it has become more of a “tourist attraction in decline”; its original purpose and use long gone.
The name calendar is an English word that derived from the Latin word kalendae; it was used by the early Romans when speaking of the first day of each month.
A calendar is a system which organizes days or events for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, such as days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is then known as a date. Particular “blocks” of time in a calendar (such as years and months) are by and large, though not necessarily, in step with the cycles of the sun or the moon.
The twelve months for today’s modern calendar and their name sources will be critiqued upon the forth coming pages in detail; followed by the origins of the names for each of the seven week days plus a bit more information.
The ‘Gregorian Calendar’ (today’s modern calendar), is a revision of the Julian calendar; which was actually a revision of the original Roman 10 month civil calendar. The Gregorian reform calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582; it was then adopted throughout the West by most countries who recognized Catholic doctrine. But most of Europe’s “Protestant” countries chose to ignore the newer version and continued with the older Julian calendar. It was not until 1700 that the Protestant rulers of Germany Netherlands
In Great Britain (and its colonies), the shift did not take place until 1752, Japan was on board by 1873, in Russia a revolution was needed to introduce the Gregorian calendar in 1918, and China became part of the group in 1949.
In Great Britain (and its colonies), the shift did not take place until 1752, Japan was on board by 1873, in Russia a revolution was needed to introduce the Gregorian calendar in 1918, and China became part of the group in 1949.
Because the early Romans did not observe a “weekend” as we “moderns” do, festivals constituted the “days of rest” for the general populace, nonetheless Roman festival days were more numerous than all of our modern weekends and holidays combined.
As previously said, the current calendar is a derivative of the original Roman Civil Calendar. It only had ten (10) months … March through December; it was based upon the cycles of the moon and the agricultural seasons; 6 of the months had 30 days; the remaining 4 months had 31 days, totaling 304 days. The prevailing thought was that since there was no agricultural “work” performed in winter, why bother counting it?
Since most Romans really believed thatRomulus Romulus
Since most Romans really believed that
Sometime around 700 BC the 2nd Roman king (Numa Pompilius) decided to add a couple of months; in doing so, he incorporate the winter season into the year. King Pompilius decreed that the first month be called Januarius (later called January) which was placed prior to March; and the last month be called Februarius (later called February) which followed December. You should note that at that time March, May, July, and October were the 31 day months (4 of the 10); the other 6 months of the ten had 30 days each. Regardless, at some point from the formation of the “republic” and 700 BC the typical Roman citizen became extremely superstitious about even numbers.
This created a problem that required correcting and could only be done with a new calendar. We know the average Roman believed the 6 months that were 30 days long were really bad luck; so King Pompilius fixed that little problem with this ‘new’ 12 month version if the civil calendar … All of the existing months with 30 days were changed to 29 day months including the new month of Januarius. Februarius was the exception; it was only given 28 days. However since it was now the last month of the year, a Purification Festival called “Februa” was organized and celebrated during that month … In addition, candles were lit / burned on the 2nd day of the month to help scare away evil (hence “Candle-mas” was ‘introduced’ by the Christians which is still considered a purification feast) ... A 355 day year was the biggest result of all these changes.
This created a problem that required correcting and could only be done with a new calendar. We know the average Roman believed the 6 months that were 30 days long were really bad luck; so King Pompilius fixed that little problem with this ‘new’ 12 month version if the civil calendar … All of the existing months with 30 days were changed to 29 day months including the new month of Januarius. Februarius was the exception; it was only given 28 days. However since it was now the last month of the year, a Purification Festival called “Februa” was organized and celebrated during that month … In addition, candles were lit / burned on the 2nd day of the month to help scare away evil (hence “Candle-mas” was ‘introduced’ by the Christians which is still considered a purification feast) ... A 355 day year was the biggest result of all these changes.
Eventually the names for the 12 months that we use in the modern Gregorian calendar today developed as follows:
1) Januarius = Roman god Janus = January
2) Februarius = Roman Purification Festival = February
3) Roman god of war = Martinus = March …
4) Roman goddess Aphrodite = Aprilis = April …
5) Roman goddess Maia Maiestas = Maius = May …
6) Roman goddess Juno = Junius = June …
7) Julius Caesar = Quintilis = July …
8) Augustus Caesar = Sextilis = August …
9) Septemberis = Septem = September …
10) Octoberis = Octo = October …
11) Novemberis = Novem = November …
12) Decemberis = Decem = December …
By the time of Julius Caesar, the two calendars (one by Romulus Egypt
As a result the Julian calendar was put into effect on January first in 45 BC.
Here’s a significant side note: a solar year is approximately a quarter day longer than a calendar year which invited trouble for future years; therefore a formula for a “leap day” to be inserted every four years was established as part of the reforms.
Apparently Caesar was not a modest man, since he established calendar holidays for the anniversary dates of his past military victories. When he was assassinated the next year (44 BC), Augustus, his posthumously adopted son gained power after several years of conflict with Julius Caesar’s #1 General, Mark Anthony/ Marcus Antonious (who was also quite the politician apparently). Augustus completed the revisions which his great uncle Julius Caesar had started and he also changed the month known as Sextilis to August which reflected his own name sake, although in all his modesty, he insisted this action was to honor
.
The 365.25 day Julian calendar was off a bit so the above referenced trouble just came right-on-in. The trouble was that the actual tropical year was 365.242199 days long, which is a difference of 11 minutes and 14 seconds per year; this resulted in a discrepancy, which by 1572 AD totaled 10 days. Consequently, Pope Gregory XIII issued a “papal bull” (kind-a-like an executive order of the time) to solve this problem; hence, the Gregorian calendar was established.
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There really wasn’t a huge change, (the leap day of every 4 years was the problem) a correction in the amount 3.12 days every 400 years was needed. So as to make this correction, it was decided that three out of every four centennial years (which were ordinarily leap years), should instead be regarded as common years. When this rule is applied, no centennial year can be a leap year unless it is evenly divisible by 400. By following this rule 1700, 1800, and 1900 were common years, but the years 1600, 2000 and 2400 would be leap years. This reform created an extremely accurate calendar system although it is 26 seconds longer than the average solar year. This is a minor fact regarding us and even our great-grandchildren, since 3,323 years must lapse to place the Gregorian calendar off one day!
A detailed outline or account for the source for each month’s name along with
a few trivial points of interest follows:
January
Our first month January, was named for the Roman god Janus (image displayed above). He is known as having two faces. For some this symbolizes looking back on the old year and forward to the new-year.
New Year’s Day, and (in the US
Americans honor the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. with a National holiday which is celebrated on the third Monday of each January. The only other American to be honored with an individual National holiday is George Washington.
Australia Day is celebrated as Australia’s official National Day, on January 26. Australia day marks this day as the landing of the “First Fleet” in 1788. First Fleet is the name given to the 11 ships which sailed from
February
During the Roman Era, on the 2nd of February, candles were lit in honor of the goddess Juno Februa; it was believed this action would also scare away evil. Since 3 out of every 4 years, February contained a total of 28 days (an even number which was considered bad luck), something was needed to chase away bad luck; so the Purification Festival was held during this month so as to help in this endeavor.
February was originally the last month of the year. It is named after “Februa,” the Roman Purification Festival, not for the goddess Juno Februa.
Saint Valentines Day and Presidents Day in the U.S. are each observed this month.
The story of Valentine’s Day and its patron saint is shrouded in mystery. We know little about the true origin, but we do know that February has long been a month of romance.
A frequent misconception is that Presidents’ Day is the unification of Washington’s Birthday andLincoln U.S.
A frequent misconception is that Presidents’ Day is the unification of Washington’s Birthday and
I
March
March was named for the Roman god of War and was originally the first month of the 10 month Roman civil year and is therefore represented here by the planet Mars and the Roman numeral I.
The “Ides of March” was the name given for March 15 on the Roman calendar. In contemporary times, the terms “Ides of March” are best known as the date for which Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 B.C. In the “Roman Era” Ides was the 15th day of March, May, July, & October. At that time the god of War (Mars) was honored; usually with a military parade.
The first of day spring and St. Patrick’s Day occur this month.
St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, died on March 17, 461 AD. This date’s anniversary has recognized his accomplishments since. St. Patrick spent thirty years building and setting up monasteries and places of worship all around Ireland
II
April
April is believed to be named for Aprilis (a synonym for Aphrodite during that era) and was initially the 2nd month of the Roman civil year. Technically, Aprilis is a Latin term meaning “to open” so some historians insist that the month’s name sake is for this. When considering the alleged Roman “fondness” of the “fairer” sex, we think Aphrodite is the most likely source.
April Brings “All Fool’s Day” and is the month in which Easter typically occurs; there are, however, exceptions.
Easter derives from “Eastre” an ancient Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess. Two of her symbols were the egg and the rabbit, so now we have colored eggs & chocolate bunnies for Easter treats.
All Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st. This being the custom of playing practical jokes on friends, or sending them on “fools” errands. Its history is not clear. There is no first “All Fool’s Day” that can be pin pointed on the calendar; however it is known to date back at least to the sixteenth century.
IIIMay
The 3rd month of the Roman civil year, May is thought to be named for Maia (image depicted above). In Roman Mythology, Maia Maiestas was an earth goddess. She symbolized youth, life, rebirth, love and sexuality.
May’s notable holidays: May Day, Mothers’ Day, and Memorial Day.
Mothers’ Day originated only about a 150 years ago in the US
Memorial Day originated in the aftermath of the 1861–65 Civil War in the United States
May Day is a multi-cultural celebration, which primarily recognizes the struggles associated with establishing the 8 hour work day.
IV
June
The goddess Juno (depicted above) was believed to watch over women and marriage, June was named for her; June was the 4th month of the original Roman civil year and is additionally depicted here by the Roman numeral IV.
Flag Day is honored in the U.S in June along with Fathers’ Day; The Summer season arrives this month in all of the Northern Hemisphere.
In 1972 Fathers’ Day was established in the U S by President Richard Nixon. The Romans also honored fathers during the month of February, but only dead ones.
Flag Day was officially established by a Proclamation of U S President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. It is also known as the official birthday of the U S Flag.
Juneteenth (June 19); represents the “official” freeing of the slaves in the United States, which took place in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 on June 19th; this was considered a necessary action because President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 had such little effect upon slaves within the Confederate States.
In the United States
V
July
July was originally called Quintilis (V) for the 5th month of the Roman civil year; it was later renamed for Julius Caesar, whose image appears above. The Roman numeral V is used as further identification.
July brings independence holidays for the United States , France , Canada
Independence Day, commonly called the 4th of July, is a Federal Holiday in the United States
Bastille Day (July 14, 1789) represents the anniversary of the French National Independence Holiday.
Canada Day recognizes Canadian Independence Day as beginning on July 1, 1867. On this date, Great Britain granted Canada
VI
August
August was originally called Sextilis (VI) after the sixth month of the Roman civil year. It was later re-named for Augustus Caesar (depicted above) in honor of Egypt becoming a part of the Roman Empire during the month of August in 30 BC. He clarified and completed the calendar reform of Julius Caesar and renamed this month after himself; not to be out done by his great uncle Julius Cesar, according to a few historians, he added a day to match July’s 31 by “borrowing” a day from February.
Augustus is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire , which he ruled alone from 27 BC until AD 14. Born Gaius Octavos Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Julius Caesar (via Caesars will).
As far as holidays go, August is definitely a slow month, but historically speaking, the opposite applies:
August 1, 1969 is considered the birth date of the internet.
Japan surrendered, ending World War II, August 14, 1945.
VII
September
September (Septem / XII / Septemberis) was the seventh month of the Roman civil year of ten months and is represented here by the above picture of the Planet Jupiter (the largest planet within our solar system) and the Roman numeral VII. Jupiter the planet represented the Roman “king of gods”; Jupiter. Festivals that occurred this month in the Roman era were held in his honor. The month’s name sake, “Septum” eventually became September.
Labor Day is a major holiday occurring in the United States
The “Roman Games" or "Great Games" exceeded 16 days during this month by the time of the Empire. Originally, this long running event of chariot racing and theatrical performances were held in honor of the Roman god Jupiter.
The first day of Autumn Equinox occurs on the 22nd or the 23rd of this month throughout the Northern hemisphere.
VIII
October
October was the eighth (Octo/VIII) month of the Roman civil year and is depicted by grapes; honoring the Roman god Bacchus who was the Roman god for “wine production” and “intoxication”. The Roman numeral VIII also represents this month which was then called “Octoberis”. The month’s name source we think is obvious.
The Festival of Bacchus was held each “Octoberis” to thank him (Bacchus) for the year’s harvest of grapes used for the making of wine.
October traditionally recognizes Halloween on the 31st… In the United States
On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus landed in the new world. Thus Columbus Day is recognized on the second Monday in October in the United States Columbus was looking for the “spice islands” which are located in the West Indies; he was obviously lost, yet he gets credit for “discovering” America Spain (his employers) calling the peoples who resided in the Americas
Halloween is a celebration based on ancient Druid customs, dating back to 700 B.C. The Druids, a Celtic religious order in ancient Britain , Ireland and France
IX November
November was the ninth (Novem/ IX) month of the Roman civil year and is depicted here by three of the Roman god Jupiter’s symbols, as well as the Roman numeral IX. As you would expect, the name November is a derivative of the Latin term Novem which means nine. For the early Romans, “Novemberis” also meant additional celebrations honoring the king of all gods, Jupiter.
Jupiter was known to be king of the gods. He was in charge of rain, thunder, and storms; three of his symbols were the lightning bolt, a likeness of the number 4 and the eagle.
Beginning on November 4th and continuing tough the 17th (in the Roman era) there were races, games, and theatre performances held in the local arena celebrating the Ludi Plebeii Festival which was in honor of Jupiter.
November is noted in the United States
World War I – known as “The Great War” – officially ended on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles just outside the town of Versailles
X
December
December was the 10th (Decem / X / Decemberis) month of the Roman Civil year, and is depicted here by the Planet Saturn in honor the Roman god Saturn and the Saturnalia Festival which was celebrated each December in early Rome; the Roman numeral X or Decem, December’s name source is also displayed .
December beings the on-set of winter, establishes the Christmas holiday, and New Year’s Eve.
Everyone loves a holiday and the Romans were not exceptions. Saturnalia was the most popular Festival of the year, honoring the Roman god Saturn. It was a time of celebration (from the 17th through the 23rd), visits with friends were frequent and gift-giving (particularly of wax candles, and earthen ware figurines) was most common. Everyone participated in those days, even slaves.
A typical misconception is that the earth is further from the sun in winter than in summer. Actually, the earth is closer to the sun in December than all other months.
In the Western world of Christianity, the birthday of Jesus Christ has been celebrated on December 25th since AD 354, replacing an earlier date of January 6th … “In the beginning”, the birthday of Mithras (December 25), the ancient Persian Sun god was celebrated on the same day.
New Year’s Eve or “old Year’s Night” is on the 31st of December, the final day of the Gregorian year.
Saturday (Saturn’s Day) is named after the Roman god Saturn. In the Latin language it was Dies Saturni, “Day of Saturn”. In Roman mythology, Saturn (Cronus) established the “Golden Age”, a time of perfect peace and harmony, which lasted as long as he reigned.
All images herein were obtained from the following Public Domain Web-Sites:
http://www.public-domain-image.com/flora-plants-public-domain-images-pictures/fruits-public-domain-images-pictures/grapes-fruit-pictures/blue-grapes-in-vineyard.jpg.html = Grapes for October
During most of the Roman era and before, it was common for folks to have a god for just about everything. There was a Sun god; a Moon god; a god for the seas; all of the known planets “represented” at least some sort of god. There was a goddess for marriage and domestic issues; another goddess for matters of the heart, sex, and beauty; a fertility goddess, etcetera, etcetera. So the long and short of it may be: is there any wonder that the days of the week were once thought to represent, or in the very least to honor, some god or goddess?
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When Romulus (who allegedly designed the first 10 month Roman Civil Calendar) was hard at work, looking for some rhyme and reason to justify names for the various week days, he looked to the heavens or gods for help. He needed to develop a system that every one of that day / era could easily remember as well as relate to, in some way or other. Everyone was aware that there were five (known) planets, a moon and a sun; totaling 7 entities (they were often called heavenly bodies in those days), so why not 7 days? Perhaps he thought “that might just work”.
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On the other hand, whoever designed the original calendar elected to incorporate only a total of 304 days into the year, you might think an 8 day week would have been appropriate, just to “balance” things out … after all 8 fits into 304 exactly 38 times as opposed to 7 which when divided into 304 equals 43.42857, so why not for simplicity make it 301 (7 fits into 301 exactly 43 times) days instead? After all, no concern was given to the fact that the entire winter season was totally ignored; so it is needless to say that logic was not applied here.
In any case, onward with the 7 weekday names / origins:
Moon’s Day =
or “Monday”
or “Monday”
Earth’s Moon
Clearly, Sun’s Day (Sunday) and Moon’s Day (Monday) are each no-brainers. So let’s keep it simple and leave it at that.
Tiw’s Day = 
or “Tuesday”
or “Tuesday”
The Planet Mars
We know with certainty that Tíw is or was considered the god of war. The Roman / Latin terms dies Martis meaning “the day of Mars”, which was thought to be the god of war, was used in reference to the name of Tiw’s Day. Tiw’s Day was and still is the 3rd day of the week and came to be called Tuesday which is linked to the planet Mars.
Woden’s Day =
or “Wednesday”
or “Wednesday”
The Planet Mercury
You might say the term Wednesday is the English translation for the Latin words dies Mercuri or “day of Mercury”. This reflects the fact that the Germanic god Woden or Odin of the Roman era was also interpreted as being the same as the “Germanic god Mercury”. Mercury was a messenger of the gods (so naturally he had winged feet) and a god of trade, especially the grain trade, which was often very profitable in those days. Woden’s Day was and still is the 4th day of the week and came to be called Wednesday by us moderns (sometimes called ‘hump’ day) which is linked to the planet Mercury by the pagan god Woden.
Thor's Day =
or "Thursday"
or "Thursday"
The Planet Jupiter
Thursday is named after the Roman god, Jupiter who was the god of sky and thunder; he is also considered to be the same as Thor. In Latin, the day was known as Iovis Dies, translation: "Jupiter's Day”. So the short story is: the 5th day of the week came to be knows as Thor’s Day and later Thursday.
Frige’s Day =
or “Friday”
or “Friday”
The Planet Venus
Friday is believed to be named after the goddess Frige, it is also thought that she is equivalent to the goddess referenced in the Latin terms “dies veneris” (day of Venus). Frige was considered the goddess of beauty, love, and sexuality; she is generally considered the same deity as the often famed and very attractive goddess Aphrodite. Frige’s Day (Friday) is the 6th day if the week which is displayed upon the Gregorian calendar and is consequently linked to the planet Venus.
Friday is believed to be named after the goddess Frige, it is also thought that she is equivalent to the goddess referenced in the Latin terms “dies veneris” (day of Venus). Frige was considered the goddess of beauty, love, and sexuality; she is generally considered the same deity as the often famed and very attractive goddess Aphrodite. Frige’s Day (Friday) is the 6th day if the week which is displayed upon the Gregorian calendar and is consequently linked to the planet Venus.
Saturn’s Day = 
or “Saturday”
or “Saturday”
The Planet Saturn
Saturday (Saturn’s Day) is named after the Roman god Saturn. In the Latin language it was Dies Saturni, “Day of Saturn”. In Roman mythology, Saturn (Cronus) established the “Golden Age”, a time of perfect peace and harmony, which lasted as long as he reigned.
The age of Gold (as
opposed to the Bronze / Iron Ages), by the way was considered the purest age;
taws’ when no labor was required and the weather was always agreeable. It was a
place of pleasant surroundings; abundance was the norm and people occupied all
their time in satisfying pursuits.
. .
. Cronus, who was thought
to be the god Saturn, ruled over this Golden Age. As you would expect a short time after this Golden
Age ended a festival was established by the Romans in its memory, it was called
the Feast of Saturnalia and was held every year.
.
During this time war
could not be declared, slaves and masters ate at the same table on occasion, and
executions were postponed. Further it was generally a season for giving gifts. Can
you believe, Christians actually adopted the feast / festival and renamed it
Christmas?
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Now the bad news, when the festival ended in those days, the tax collectors appeared and all money owed to the government, landlords, or other debtors had to be accounted for. This is a side to Saturn / Saturnalia we typically hear nothing about; you probably recall that December’s ruling zodiac sign, Capricorn, represents “the settling of accounts”. So, if you observe Christmas, you might say things remain the same in more ways than one. When considering the broad and long of it, we have to pay for those gifts.
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Now the bad news, when the festival ended in those days, the tax collectors appeared and all money owed to the government, landlords, or other debtors had to be accounted for. This is a side to Saturn / Saturnalia we typically hear nothing about; you probably recall that December’s ruling zodiac sign, Capricorn, represents “the settling of accounts”. So, if you observe Christmas, you might say things remain the same in more ways than one. When considering the broad and long of it, we have to pay for those gifts.
All images herein were obtained from the following Public Domain Web-Sites:
http://www.copyrightfreephotos.hq101.com/v/cities_buildings/Panorama_-_Roman_Colosseum.jpg.html = Roman Coliseum
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3091/ = Janus Image
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?pg=8381 = February Image
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/marssurf.htm = The Surface of Mars / March
http://www.public-domain-photos.org/jean-baptiste-carpeaux-le-printemps-goddess-flora.htmlMatsys,-Flora,- = May for Maia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(mythology) = June for Juno
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Augustus.aspx = August or Augustus
http://www.copyright-free-images.com/space-copyright-free-images/jupiter-planet-
of-the-solar-system.jpg.html = Jupiter for September
http://www.public-domain-image.com/flora-plants-public-domain-images-pictures/fruits-public-domain-images-pictures/grapes-fruit-pictures/blue-grapes-in-vineyard.jpg.html = Grapes for October
http://www.conservapedia.com/File:Jupiter_symbol.svg = Jupiter’s 4
http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/animals/birds/eagles.shtml = Jupiter’s Eagle
http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/weather/lightning_10220.html = Jupiter’s Lighting Bolt
http://www.bittbox.com/resources/35-stunning-hi-res-public-domain-astronomy-images = Saturn for December
http://astro.unl.edu/misc/moonpics/ = Moon for Monday
http://www.arspublik.com/public-domain-image-mars-hubble/ = Mars / Tuesday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mercury_in_color_-_Prockter07_centered.jpg Mercury / Wednesday
http://www.copyright-free-images.com/space-copyright-free-images/jupiter-planet-of-the-solar-system.jpg.html = Jupiter for Thursday
http://www.bittbox.com/resources/35-stunning-hi-res-public-domain-astronomy-images = Venus for Friday
http://www.bittbox.com/resources/35-stunning-hi-res-public-domain-astronomy-images = Saturn / Saturday
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