Germanic calendar
Encyclopedia
The Germanic calendars were the regional calendar
s used amongst the early Germanic peoples, prior to the adoption of the Julian calendar
in the Early Middle Ages
.
The Germanic peoples had their own names for the months which varied by region and dialect, which were later replaced with local adaptations of the Roman
month names. Our records of Old English and Old High German month names date to the 8th and 9th centuries, respectively. Old Norse
month names are attested from the 13th century. Like most pre-modern calendars, the reckoning used in early Germanic culture was likely lunisolar
. The Runic calendar
developed in Medieval Sweden is lunisolar, fixing the beginning of the year at the first full moon
after winter solstice
.
The month names do not coincide, thus it is not possible to postulate names of a Common Germanic stage, except possibly the name of a spring and a winter month, *austr- and *jehul-
. The names of the seasons are also Common Germanic,
*sumaraz
, *harbistoz
, *wentrus
, and perhaps *wēr- "spring". The Common Germanic terms for "day", "month" and "year" were *dagaz
, *mēnō-þ- "Moon
" and *jǣrom. The latter two continue Proto-Indo-European
*me(n)ses-, *iero- while *dagaz is a Germanic innovation from a root meaning "to be hot, to burn".
Tacitus
in his Germania
(ch. 11) gives some indication of how the Germanic peoples of the 1st century reckoned the days. In contrast to Roman usage, they considered the day to begin at sunset, a system that in the Middle Ages came to be known as the "Florentine reckoning
". The same system is also recorded for the Gauls
in Caesar's Gallic Wars
.
The concept of the week
, on the other hand, was adopted from the Romans, from about the 1st century, the various Germanic languages having adopted the Greco-Roman system of naming of the days of the week
after the classical planets, inserting loan translations for the names of the planets, substituting the names Germanic gods
in a process known as interpretatio germanica.
; the Old English
"mónaþ", Old Norse "mánaðr, and Old High German "mánód", as well as the modern English
"month", modern Icelandic
"mánuður", modern Norwegian
"måned", modern Swedish
"månad", modern Dutch
"maand", and the German
"Monat", are all derivatives of the word "moon
", with the -th suffix found in words such as "depth", "width", "breadth", etc. This connection is also found in several other Indo-European languages
.
Our main source of reference for Old English month names comes from the Venerable Bede. He recorded the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon
month names in his Latin work known as De temporum ratione
(De mensibus Anglorum), written in 725.
Charlemagne
(r. 768-814) modified the established Julian Calendar to use the agricultural Old High German
names of the months in areas under his influence. (See Julian Calendar:Month names for other examples.) They were used until the 15th century, and persisted in popular or dialectal use into the 19th century.
rather than on the same date
. Hence Þorri
always started on a Friday sometime between 9 and 15 and January of the Julian calendar
, Góa
always starts on a Sunday between 8 and 14 February of the Julian calendar.
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
s used amongst the early Germanic peoples, prior to the adoption of the Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
.
The Germanic peoples had their own names for the months which varied by region and dialect, which were later replaced with local adaptations of the Roman
Roman calendar
The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the founding of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. This article generally discusses the early Roman or pre-Julian calendars...
month names. Our records of Old English and Old High German month names date to the 8th and 9th centuries, respectively. Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
month names are attested from the 13th century. Like most pre-modern calendars, the reckoning used in early Germanic culture was likely lunisolar
Lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year then the calendar will...
. The Runic calendar
Runic calendar
A Runic calendar is a perpetual calendar based on the 19 year long Metonic cycle of the Moon. Runic calendars were written on parchment or carved onto staves of wood, bone, or horn. The oldest one known, and the only one from the Middle Ages, is the Nyköping staff, believed to date from the 13th...
developed in Medieval Sweden is lunisolar, fixing the beginning of the year at the first full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
after winter solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
.
The month names do not coincide, thus it is not possible to postulate names of a Common Germanic stage, except possibly the name of a spring and a winter month, *austr- and *jehul-
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
. The names of the seasons are also Common Germanic,
*sumaraz
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
, *harbistoz
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
, *wentrus
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
, and perhaps *wēr- "spring". The Common Germanic terms for "day", "month" and "year" were *dagaz
Dagaz
The d rune is called Daeg "day" in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem. The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet d is called dags. This rune stave is also part of the Elder Futhark, with a reconstructed Proto-Germanic name *dagaz....
, *mēnō-þ- "Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
" and *jǣrom. The latter two continue Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
*me(n)ses-, *iero- while *dagaz is a Germanic innovation from a root meaning "to be hot, to burn".
Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
in his Germania
Germania (book)
The Germania , written by Gaius Cornelius Tacitus around 98, is an ethnographic work on the Germanic tribes outside the Roman Empire.-Contents:...
(ch. 11) gives some indication of how the Germanic peoples of the 1st century reckoned the days. In contrast to Roman usage, they considered the day to begin at sunset, a system that in the Middle Ages came to be known as the "Florentine reckoning
Florentine calendar
The Florentine calendar was used in Italy in the Middle Ages. In this system, the new day begins at sunset. When the reference of a birth was, for example, "two hours into the day", this meant two hours after sunset...
". The same system is also recorded for the Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
in Caesar's Gallic Wars
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
.
- "They assemble, except in the case of a sudden emergency, on certain fixed days, either at new or at full moon; for this they consider the most auspicious season for the transaction of business. Instead of reckoning by days as we do, they reckon by nights, and in this manner fix both their ordinary and their legal appointments. Night they regard as bringing on day."
The concept of the week
Week
A week is a time unit equal to seven days.The English word week continues an Old English wice, ultimately from a Common Germanic , from a root "turn, move, change"...
, on the other hand, was adopted from the Romans, from about the 1st century, the various Germanic languages having adopted the Greco-Roman system of naming of the days of the week
Week-day names
The names of the days of the week from the Roman period have been both named after the seven planets of classical astronomy and numbered, beginning with Monday. In Slavic languages, a numbering system was adopted, but beginning with Monday. There was an even older tradition of names in Ancient...
after the classical planets, inserting loan translations for the names of the planets, substituting the names Germanic gods
Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology is a comprehensive term for myths associated with historical Germanic paganism, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, Continental Germanic mythology, and other versions of the mythologies of the Germanic peoples...
in a process known as interpretatio germanica.
Month names
The months were probably lunarLunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies . There are many variations. In Middle-Eastern and European traditions, the month starts when the young crescent moon becomes first visible at evening after conjunction with the Sun one or two days before that evening...
; the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
"mónaþ", Old Norse "mánaðr, and Old High German "mánód", as well as the modern English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
"month", modern Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
"mánuður", modern Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
"måned", modern Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
"månad", modern Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
"maand", and the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
"Monat", are all derivatives of the word "moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
", with the -th suffix found in words such as "depth", "width", "breadth", etc. This connection is also found in several other Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
.
Our main source of reference for Old English month names comes from the Venerable Bede. He recorded the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
month names in his Latin work known as De temporum ratione
De temporum ratione
The Reckoning of Time is an Anglo-Saxon era treatise written in Latin by the Northumbrian monk Bede in 725. The treatise includes an introduction to the traditional ancient and medieval view of the cosmos, including an explanation of how the spherical earth influenced the changing length of...
(De mensibus Anglorum), written in 725.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
(r. 768-814) modified the established Julian Calendar to use the agricultural Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
names of the months in areas under his influence. (See Julian Calendar:Month names for other examples.) They were used until the 15th century, and persisted in popular or dialectal use into the 19th century.
| Modern English (Julian Roman Julian calendar The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months... ) [Modern German] |
Old English / Anglo-Saxon | Old Norse | Old High German (and the New High German equivalent) | Poetic German / Carolingian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day... (Ianuarius) [Januar] |
Æftera Jéola (After Yule Yule Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January... ) or Jiuli |
Mörsugur (Suet Suet Suet is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys.Suet has a melting point of between 45° and 50°C and congelation between 37° and 40°C.... -sucker) or Jól (Yule) (the first half of the month) and Þorri (Thor) (the latter half) |
Harti-mánód (New High German: Härte monat, English: Month of Severe Frost) | Hartung (Severeness), Eis-mond (Ice Month), or Schnee-mond (Snow Month) |
| February February February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years... (Februarius) [Februar] |
Sol-mónaþ (Sol Month) or Fillibrook (Brook-Filling) | Þorri and Gói (Possibly Winter); Kyndilsmessa (candle/kindle-mass) | Hornung (Hornung, Horning, the shedding of antlers) | Hornung (Horning)http://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/althochdeutscheswoerterbuch/ahdH.pdf) |
| March March March is in present time held to be the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of the seven months which are 31 days long.... (Martius) [März] |
Hréð-mónaþ (Month of the Goddess Hréð Hretha Hrêðe is a goddess in Anglo-Saxon paganism connected with the month Hrēdmōnath. Hrêðe is attested solely by Bede in his 8th century work De temporum ratione... or Month of Wildness http://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/altenglischeswoerterbuch/AENG-H.pdf) |
Gói and Ein-mánuðr | Lenzin-mánód (Lenz monat, Spring Month) | Lenzing(Springing) or Lenz-mond (Springtime Month) |
| April April April is the fourth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC... (Aprilis) [April] |
Eostur-mónaþ("Easter Easter Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday... Month", "Spring month") (month named after the Goddess Eostre Eostre Old English Ēostre and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of a Germanic goddess whose Anglo-Saxon month, Ēostur-monath , has given its name to the festival of Easter... ) |
Ein-mánuðr and Harpa | Óstar-mánód (Oster monat) ("Ostern Ostern The Ostern or Red Western was the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries' take on the Western.It generally took two forms:... (Easter Easter Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday... ) Month", see also Oster Oster Oster is a city located where the Oster River flows into the Desna in Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. As of January 1, 2005, its population is 7,100.... ) |
Oster-mond (see also: Goddess Eostre Eostre Old English Ēostre and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of a Germanic goddess whose Anglo-Saxon month, Ēostur-monath , has given its name to the festival of Easter... ) |
| May May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere... (Maius) [Mai] |
Þrimilki-mónaþ (Month of Three Milkings) | Harpa and Skerpla | Drímilki (no common NHG equivalent), Winni-mánód (Wonne monat) | Wonne-mond (Graze Month [later interpretation: Blissfulness Month]) |
| June June June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti... (Iunius) [Juni] |
Ærra Líða (Before Midsummer) | Skerpla and Sól-mánuðr (Sol month) | Bráh-mánód (Brach monat) | Brachet or Brach-mond (Fallow Month) |
| (None; leap month) | Þrilíða (Third Midsummer) | (none) | (none) | (none) |
| July July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere... (Quintilis/Iulius) [Juli] |
Æftera Líða (After Midsummer) | Sól-mánuðr and Heyannir (Sol's month, Haying) | Hewi-mánód or Hou-mánód (both Heu monat, hay month) | Heuert or Heu-mond (Hay Hay Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs... Month) |
| August August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days.This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first... (Sextilis/Augustus) [August] |
Weod-mónaþ (Plant month) | Heyannir (Hay month)and Tvímánuðr (Double month) | Aran-mánód (Ernte monat, Month of Harvest) | Ernting or Ernte-mond (Harvesting, Crop Crop (agriculture) A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include... Month / Harvest Harvest Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper... Month) |
| September September September is the 9th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with a length of 30 days.September in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of March in the Northern Hemisphere.... (September) [September] |
Hálig-mónaþ (Holy Month) or Hærfest-mónaþ (Harvest Month) | Tví-mánuðr and Haust-mánuðr (Harvest/autumn month) | Witu-mánód (Holz monat, Month of Wood); or Herbist-mānōd (Leaves month, Herbst monat, Month of Harvest) | Scheiding (Separating) or Herbst-mond (Autumn Month) |
| October October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the... (October) [Oktober] |
Winterfylleth Winterfylleth Winterfylleth was the Anglo-Saxon or Old English name for the month of October. It marked and celebrated the beginning of winter.The name of the month was recorded by the Venerable Bede... (Winterfilled) or Rujern (Rye harvest) or Win-mónaþ (Wine month) |
Haust-manuðr and Gor-mánuðr | Windume-mánód (Weinlese monat, Month of Vintage) | Gilbhart / Gilbhard (Forest Yellowing) or Wein-mond (Wine Month) |
| November November November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar... (November) [November] |
Blót-mónaþ (Blót Blót The blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples, such as the pagan Anglo-Saxons... Month) |
Gor-mánuðr and Frer-mánuðr (Frost month) | Wintar-mánód (Winter monat) | Nebelung (Fog Fog Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated... ging) or Nebel-mond (Fog Fog Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated... Month) or Winter-mond (Winter Month) |
| December December December is the 12th and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.December starts on the same day as September every year and ends on the same day as April every year.-Etymology:... (December) [Dezember] |
Ærra Jéola (Before Yule Yule Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January... ) or Jiuli (Yule) |
Frer-mánuðr and Morsugr or Jól (Yule month) | (Jul monat) | Jul-mond (Yule Yule Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January... Month) or Heil-mond (Holy Month) or Christ-mond (Christ Month) |
Icelandic calendar
The old Icelandic calendar is not in official use any more, but some Icelandic holidays and annual feasts are still calculated from it. It has 12 months, broken down into two groups of six often termed "winter months" and "summer months". The calendar is peculiar in that the months always start on the same weekdayWeekday
Weekday may either refer to only a day of the week which is part of the workweek thus not part of the weekend or to any of the days of the week.-Weekday as a day of the workweek:In most countries the days of the workweek are:# Monday# Tuesday# Wednesday...
rather than on the same date
Calendar date
A date in a calendar is a reference to a particular day represented within a calendar system. The calendar date allows the specific day to be identified. The number of days between two dates may be calculated. For example, "24 " is ten days after "14 " in the Gregorian calendar. The date of a...
. Hence Þorri
Þorri
Þorri is the Icelandic name of the personification of frost or winter in Norse mythology, and also the name of the fourth winter month in the Icelandic calendar....
always started on a Friday sometime between 9 and 15 and January of the Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
, Góa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
always starts on a Sunday between 8 and 14 February of the Julian calendar.
- Skammdegi ("Short days")
- Gormánuður (mid October - mid November, "slaughter month" or "GórGorGor , the Counter-Earth, is the alternate-world setting for a series of 30 novels by John Norman that combine philosophy, erotica and science fiction...
's month") - Ýlir (mid November - mid December, "YuleYuleYule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
month") - Mörsugur (mid December - mid January, "fat sucking month")
- ÞorriÞorriÞorri is the Icelandic name of the personification of frost or winter in Norse mythology, and also the name of the fourth winter month in the Icelandic calendar....
(mid January - mid February, "frozen snow month") - GóaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
(mid February - mid March, "Góa's month", see NórNórNór or Nori is firstly a mercantile title and secondly a Norse man's name. It is stated in Norse sources that Nór was the founder of Norway, from whom the land supposedly got its name...
) - Einmánuður (mid March - mid April, "lone" or "single month")
- Náttleysi ("Nightless days")
- Harpa (mid April - mid May, Harpa is a female name, probably a forgotten goddess, first day of Harpa is celebrated as Sumardagurinn fyrsti - first day of summer)
- Skerpla (mid May - mid June, another forgotten goddess)
- Sólmánuður (mid June - mid July, "sunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
month") - Heyannir (mid July - mid August, "hayHayHay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
business month") - Tvímánuður (mid August - mid September, "two" or "second month")
- Haustmánuður (mid September - mid October, "autumn month")
External links
Old High German dictionary, including month names- Facts and Figures: The Norse Way General information on old Germanic culture, including time. Old High German dictionary, including month names Old Norse dictionary, including month names Old English dictionary, including month names
- Anglo-Saxon month names
- The Anglo-Saxon Calendar