Interestingly, the modern Gregorian calendar with the names of the months is a merit of Ancient Rome. It was there that they divided the year into 12 months, each of which received its name.
For a year, planet Earth makes one revolution around the Sun. In the year, there are 365 days and 6 hours. For convenience, the year is divided into 12 months, of which 3 summer, 3 winter, 3 spring and 3 autumn. And every month bears its own name. All this information is easy to find in any textbook for the youngest students. But far from everywhere it is mentioned why the months are called exactly as it is written on calendars, and not otherwise.
In fact, in some countries the names of the months are different from the world’s usual in January, February, March, and so on. Such countries include, for example, Ukraine. But most of the world lives on a calendar in which the names of the months are of Latin origin, to which ancient Rome owes. It was the Romans who divided the year into months, of which there were initially only ten.
March 1, the rites of exile of winter - "old Mars". And it was in honor of the warlike god that the first month of the Roman calendar was named. April comes from apricus - "warm." May bears the name Maya (Mayesta) - the goddess of fertility. June is dedicated to Juno, the wife of Jupiter, revered by the Romans as the goddess of motherhood and marriage.
The first four months were considered the most important of the year, as they were directly related to the harvest, land work, and family. The remaining names derive their names from Latin numerals. So, for example, sepiimus - in Latin "seventh", which in the 10-month Roman calendar was September. October comes from octavus - "eighth", novem - "ninth", November. And so on.
Quintillium and Sextile - the fifth and sixth months of the Roman calendar, later changed their names to July (in honor of Guy Julius Caesar) and August (in honor of Emperor Augustus).
Later, the Romans expanded their calendar to 12 months. The new 12-month calendar appeared thanks to the second king of Rome - Nouma Pompilius. It was his reforms that made it possible in the future to introduce the Julian calendar. Added two months began to call January and February. January was dedicated to Janus, the god of beginning. After all, it was precisely in January that the year began. February comes from the Latin februarius - “purifying”, because in February in Rome there were purifying sacrifices.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Byzantium became one of the largest states in the world. It was with its submission that the Roman names of the months appeared and took root in Russia.
