Everything about January totally explained
January is the
first month of the
year in the
Julian and
Gregorian calendars, and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31
days. It is, on average, the coolest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere, characterizing the onset of the Winter and Summer in both hemispheres respectively.
January begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of
Capricorn and ends in the sign of
Aquarius. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of
Sagittarius and ends in the constellation of
Capricornus.
January is named for
Janus (
Ianuarius), the god of the doorway; the name has its beginnings in
Roman mythology, where the
Latin word for door (
ianua) comes from - January is the door to the year.
Traditionally, the original
Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, totalling 304 days, winter being considered a monthless period. Around
713 BC, the semi-mythical successor of
Romulus, King
Numa Pompilius, is supposed to have added the months of January and
February, allowing the calendar to equal a standard lunar year (355 days). The first day of the month is known as
New Year's Day. Although
March was originally the first month in the old Roman Calendar, January assumed that position beginning in
153 BC when the two
consuls, for whom the years were named, began to be chosen on
January 1. The reason for this shift of the new year into the dead of winter was to allow the new consuls to complete the elections and ceremonies upon becoming consuls, and still reach their respective consular armies by the start of the campaigning.
Various Christian feast dates were used for the
New Year in
Europe in the
Middle Ages, including
March 25 and
December 25. However, medieval calendars were displayed in the Roman fashion of twelve columns from January to
December. Beginning in the
16th century, European countries began officially making
January 1 the start of the New Year once again — sometimes called
Circumcision Style because this was the date of the
Feast of the Circumcision, being the 8th day from
December 25.
Historical names for January include its original Roman designation, Ianuarius, the
Saxon term Wulf-monath (meaning wolf month) and
Charlemagne's designation Wintarmanoth (winter / cold month). In
Finnish, the month is called
tammikuu, meaning
month of the oak, but the original meaning was
the month of the heart of winter, as
tammi has initially meant
axis or
core. This month is in
Czech called
leden, meaning
ice month.
The first
Monday in January is known as
Handsel Monday in
Scotland and northern
England. In England, the agricultural year began with
Plough Sunday on the
Sunday after
Epiphany.
The
Coming of Age day in
Japan is the second Monday of January, for those becoming 20 years old in the new calendar year. It is a national holiday. The day has been celebrated since 1948, but fell on
January 15 until 1999, when it was moved by the
Japanese government in an attempt to lift the economy by making more holidays consecutive.
In the
pagan wheel of the year, January ends at or near to
Imbolc in the northern hemisphere and
Lughnasadh in the southern hemisphere.
It is the middle month of summer in the Southern Hemisphere and the middle of winter in the Northern.
January starts on the same day of the week as
October in common years, and
April and
July in leap years.
Events in January
Holidays
January symbols
January's birthstone is the garnet
Its birth flower is the carnation or snowdrop
The Chinese floral emblem of January is the plum blossom
The Japanese floral emblem of January is the camellia
Further Information
Get more info on 'January'.
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