Do You Know the Origin of the Month’s Names?
March is here, and spring is coming.
As the seasons change, you may wonder why the third month of the year is called “March.”
Surprisingly, March was the first named month of the year in ancient Roman times.
It got its name from Mars, the god of war, because March marked the start of a new season for fighting wars.
The early Romans followed a 12-month calendar, but only the 10 months from March to December had names.
Winter was a time for resting, so the first two months of the year had no names.
Then, around 700 BC, King Pompilius officially named January after Janus, the god of new beginnings.
He named the month of February after Februa, a religious festival for “spring cleaning.”
After March comes April, a month the Romans called “Aprilis.”
This name, from a Latin word meaning “to open,” means that flowers open, or bloom, in April.