THE names of our months are Roman. Have we always known them by Roman names? - Bill Hutchinson, Chester-le-Street.

THE Anglo-Saxons once used quite different names for the months of the year, but they were abandoned in favour of Roman names after the conversion to Christianity. This was due to their reference to pagan gods but, some of the Roman month names also commemorated pre-Christian deities.

One major difference between the months of the early Anglo-Saxons and those of today is that there were only ten month names. Two summer months were combined in one name, as were two winter months.

The heathen year began on December 25 and was celebrated the following night with a ceremony called Modra Nicht - Night of Mothers. This was in the middle of a period called Giuli, the name for the months of December and January. Giuli is the origin of our word yule. Its meaning is unknown.

The second month of the heathen year (February) was called Solmonath. The Venerable Bede explains this as "the Month of Cakes" and cakes were probably offered to the pagan gods in a festival at this time.

The third month was called Hrethmonath after a goddess called Hretha who may be associated with the name of Mother Earth. The fourth month (April) was called Eosturmonath and was the month of a major festival dedicated to Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The Anglo-Saxons later adopted the name for a Christian ceremony commemorating the resurrection of Christ. It is the origin of our word Easter. The fifth month was called Thrimilci because it was the month in which cows had to be milked three times a day.

The sixth and seventh months (June and July) were combined under the name Litha. This name derives from an ancient word for moon. The eighth month (August) was called Weodmonath - "the month of weeds". It was followed by a month called Halegmonath. This would be pronounced Haly Monath and could be translated directly as holy month. The Venerable Bede, perhaps not wishing to attribute holiness to a pagan ceremony, describes it more specifically as "the Month of Offerings". As Halegmonath was equivalent to our September it is reasonable to assume this was the time for a major harvest festival.

The tenth month was called Wintirylith and its name referred to the first full moon of the winter. It was followed by Blotmonath - our November. Blotmonath was a month of sacrifice in which superfluous livestock were slaughtered, partly as an offering to the gods.

The month names we use today are of Roman origin. Two derive from Roman goddesses - June from Juno and May from Maia. Two are Roman gods - January from Janus, the God of Beginnings and March is from Mars, the God of War. Two of our current months take their names from Roman Emperors. July is from Julius Caesar and August is from Augustus Caesar.

February comes from Februa, a purification feast and April is from the Latin Aperiere meaning "the opening of buds". The last four months are named from their numerical position in the original ten-month Roman calendar.

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