THE TWELVE MONTHS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1932, Page 18

THE TWELVE MONTHS

The other evening when I had just dined and was settling down for the enjoyment of my usual after-dinner nap, my youngest son Jack, who began his! Latin studios this year, asked me the meaning of the word December, says a.writer in. the "Melbourne Age." Pleased to hear of his interest iv such a subject, which was prompted, no doubt, by his recent studies, I explained that the word meant "the tenth month" of the year. "But," said Jack, "why is it called the tenth month when, as a fact, it is the twelfth ?' Seeing that I would have to postpone my after-dinner nap, I then explained that in remote times and before the Julian era, the year in use- among.the Komans consisted of 304 days, and was divided iuto ten months—Marlius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Scxtilis, Sepj tember, October, November, December, i From the order of these- names it can bo seen that March was the first month of the year by the names of those which follow June—viz., Quintilis or the fifth month, Sextilis the sixth, and su on to December the tenth. This mode of marking the calendar, commonly known as the year of Romulus, was succeeded by a pure lunar year, introduced, so it is said, by Numa, who, while keeping the names of the ten months already in use, added two more, the . first of which he named Januarius from the god Janus, the doity presiding over the beginning of ail things, and Februarius, from Februus, the deify who presided over expiatory rites. That January and February were

at that time tho lnst. two months of tho year seems undoubted, but there is great doubt in fixing the period as to when January and February became the first and second months. Plutarch speaks of them as having been from the first, the eleventh and twelfth, while Ovid, attributing their addition to Numa, placed January at the boginning of tho year and February at the end.

This method of reckoning the year continued until tho time of Julius Caesar, and from various causes it had fallen into great confusion. To remedy this Julius Caesar in B.C. 45, helped by Sosigenes, the Alexandrian Philosopher, introduced what is now called the Julian Year, and which, with a few modifications has been accepted by nearly all civilised, countries. In tho Julian year January was placed as the first month, and tho others followed in tho samo order, and with tho same names as at present, except that August was known as Quintilis, or tho fifth month, and July as Sextilis, or the sixth month. A year Inter Quintilis was changed to Julius, in ho tour of Julius Caesar, who was born on tho 12th day of that month, and in B.C. 8 the name Sextilis was changed to Augustus, who in that month entered upon his .first Consulship, and after some remarkable victories had celebrated three triumphs. Later by similar changes September was for a time known as Germanicus, and October as Domitianus, but while July and August still survive, the others soon ceased to be used.