• September

    September (Latin septem, “seven”) was originally the seventh of ten months on the Roman calendar, with March (Latin Martius) the first month of the year until perhaps as late as 153 BC. After the calendar reform added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month, but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day. September’s birthstone is the sapphire. The birth flowers for September are the forget-me-not, morning glory and aster. The zodiac signs are Virgo (August 22 – September 22) and Libra (September 23 – October 22) Adela Related posts: No related posts.

  • August

    The month was originally called Sextilis, the sixth month in the then month Roman calendar and consisted of 31 days under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year. About 700 BC it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 45 BC giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honor of Augustus Caesar. According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it…

  • July

     July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars. It was named in honor of Julius Caesar. When Julius Caesar died, Quintilis, which was his birth month, was renamed with July. Quintilis means “fifth month” in Latin, which represents where this month originally fell in the Roman calendar. July’s Birth Stone is the ruby, which symbolizes contentment. Birth flowers are the Larkspur or the Water Lily. The zodiac signs for the month are Cancer (June 20 – July 21) and Leo (July 22 – August 22). Related posts: No related posts.

  • June

    In Old English, this month was often referred to as simply “midsummer month.” It also may have been called “sere-month” (dry and withered). In the seventeenth century, the Latin name for the sixth month was referred to in English, Iūnius, meaning “sacred to Juno,” the Roman goddess of marriage and the wife of the supreme deity Jupiter. The capital forms of J and I were not yet distinguished from one another. June’s birthstones are pearl, alexandrite and moonstone. The birth flowers are rose and honeysuckle. The zodiac signs are Gemini (May 20-June 21) and Cancer (June 22-July 22) Adela Related posts: No related posts.

  • May

    May is the fifth month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.  Some sources say May was named after Maia, a Roman earth goddess of growing plants.  The important festival of Bona Dea, or celebration of the Good Goddess, was held in May.  Other sources site Ovid, who wrote May was named after Maiores, Latin for “elders”.  May is devoted to the Virgin Mary in the Catholic church, and there are monthly devotions to her.  May is also a month of spring and the start of summer vacation in the United States and Canada. May 1 is Beltane or May Day, which is celebrated in many countries as well as in…