02.12.2022
The months and days names origin in English
Have you ever wondered where the English names of the months came from? Why they look like Russian and not like Belarusian and Ukrainian? In addition, the weekday’s names are taught back in English courses for children, but not many people know about their origins.
All names of months in English are Roman. Most got their names from the gods the Romans worshipped and the emperors they served.
January, January, gets its name from the god Janus. Legend has it that he had two faces, one looking forward and the other backwards, hence looking at the beginning and the end of the year. He was also called the gate god.
The name February has Latin roots and is derived from a word meaning purification. In ancient times there was a lot of dirt in houses after the winter period, and it was believed that February was beneficial for cleaning the house.
March owes its name to Mars, the great god of war. The Romans thought that March was perfect for warfare.
for warfare.
We also get our name from ‘aperire’, which is Latin for ‘to open’, and means ‘the coming of spring’. A common variant is that April got its name from the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, the patron of love.
May is May after Maia, the ancient Roman goddess of spring and fertility.
June owes its name to Juno, the goddess of marriage. Even today, many people try to get married in July.
July is named after the greatest emperor Julius Caesar, who was born in July.
August is named after the first emperor of Rome, Augustus.
September is derived from “sept”, which is Latin for “seven”. At the time of the Romans, March was the first month of the year, making September seven month of the calendar.
October, November, December. These months did not get any special names either. October, November and December had the same nickname: octo, novem, decem in Latin: eight, nine, ten.
The ancestors of the British worshipped many gods, but the days of the week are named after the most important of them.
Monday (Monday) is associated with the week of the Romans. Its name means Moon Day.
Tuesday is associated with the week of the Romans. This name honours the Germanic-Scandinavian god Tyr, who had one arm and was noted for his incredible martial strength and nobility.
Wednesday gets its name from the god Odin, the head god of the same mythology. He is also the god of war and victory, possessing great strength and knowledge, with many titles.
Thursday owes its name to the god Thor, lord of thunder and storm, protector of the divine and human race from giants and monsters, son of the supreme god Odin.
Friday was named after the goddess Frigg, patron of love, marriage and family. Frigg is also Odin’s wife and has a gift of foresight; she knows the fates of all people but tells no one about them.
Saturday. This is similar to the Roman name and refers to Saturn.
Sunday is also from ancient Rome and means Sun’s Day.
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