Roman Months
Year in Roma used to start at March and end at January; and months were named as the following:
- March: Martius: God of war.
- April: Aprilis from aperire, “to open,” in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to “open”.
- May: named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May
- June: named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. Some sources affirm it’s named after Junius Brutus Julius Caesar.
- July: was renamed for Julius Caesar; previously, it was called Quintilis in Latin, since it was the fifth month in the Roman calendar.
- August: was named in honor of Caesar Augustus. The month reputedly has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as Julius Caesar’s July, previously Sextilis (six).
- September: from septem (seven): seventh month.
- October: from octo (eighth): eighth month.
- November: from novem (nine): ninth month.
- December: from decem (ten): tenth month.
- January: Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways.
- February: Februus, the god of purification. Augustus is alleged to have removed one day from February and added it to August.
Reference: The Free Encyclopaedia
