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This article is about the month. For other uses, seeJanuary (disambiguation).
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Januaryis the first month of the year in theJulianandGregorian calendars.Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known asNew Year's Day.It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of theNorthern Hemisphere(where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of theSouthern Hemisphere(where it is the second month of summer). In the Southern hemisphere, January is the seasonal equivalent of July in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.

Ancient Romanobservances during this month includeCervulaand Juvenalia, celebrated January 1, as well as one of threeAgonalia,celebrated January 9, andCarmentalia,celebrated January 11. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

History

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Adoration of the Magi, Epiphany, January 6
January, from theTrès Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

January (in Latin,Ianuarius) is named afterJanus,the god of beginnings and transitions inRoman mythology.[1]

Traditionally, the originalRoman calendarconsisted of 10 months totaling 304 days, winter being considered a month-less period. Around 713 BC, the semi-mythical successor ofRomulus,KingNuma Pompilius,is supposed to have added the months of January andFebruary,so that the calendar covered a standard lunar year (354 days). AlthoughMarchwas originally the first month in the old Roman calendar, January became the first month of the calendar year either under Numa or under theDecemvirsabout 450 BC (Roman writers differ). In contrast, each specific calendar year was identified by the names of the twoconsuls,who entered office on March 15 until 153 BC, at which point they started entering office on January 1.

Various Christian feast dates were used for theNew YearinEuropeduring theMiddle Ages,including March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) and December 25. However, medieval calendars were still displayed in the Roman fashion with 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 calledCircumcision Stylebecause this was the date of theFeast of the Circumcision,being the seventh day after December 25.

Historical names for January include its original Roman designation, Ianuarius, theSaxontermWulf-monath(meaning "wolf month" ) andCharlemagne's designation Wintarmanoth ( "winter / cold month" ). InSlovene,it is traditionally calledprosinec;the name, associated withmilletbread and the act of asking for something, was first written in 1466 in theŠkofja Lokamanuscript.[2]

According toTheodor Mommsen,[3]1 January became the first day of the year in 600AUCof the Roman calendar (153 BC), due to disasters in theLusitanian War.A Lusitanian chief called Punicus invaded the Roman territory, defeated two Roman governors, and killed their troops. The Romans resolved to send a consul toHispania,and in order to accelerate the dispatch of aid, "they even made the new consuls enter into office two months and a half before the legal time" (March 15).

Symbols

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Snow in theNorthern Hemispherein the month of January
Garnet gemstone
Garnetgemstone
Snowdrop (Galanthus) flower
Snowdrop(Galanthus) flower
Pink dianthus
Pinkdianthus

January'sbirthstoneis thegarnet,which represents constancy.[4]Its birth flower is the cottage pinkDianthus caryophyllus,galanthusor traditionalcarnation.[5][6]Thezodiacsigns areCapricorn(until January 19) andAquarius(January 20 onward).

Observances

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This list does not necessarily imply either official status or general observance.

Month-long

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January,painting byLeandro Bassano

Food months in the United States

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This list does not necessarily imply either official status or general observance.

Non-Gregorian

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All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown on the date in question.

Moveable

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This list does not necessarily imply either official status or general observance.

January 2 unless that day is a Sunday, in which caseJanuary 3

First Friday

Second Saturday

Second Monday

Friday before third Monday

Third Friday

Sunday closest to January 22

Third full week of January

Last full week of January

Third Monday

Wednesday of the third full week of January

Friday between January 19–25

Last Saturday

Last Sunday

January 30 or the nearest Sunday

Last Monday in January

Fourth Monday

Monday Closest to January 29

Fixed

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References

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  1. ^"Why does the year start on January 1".Britannica.Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2019.Retrieved6 September2019.
  2. ^Stabej, Jože (1966)."Ob petstoletnici škofjeloškega zapisa slovenskih imen za mesece"[On the 500th Anniversary of the Škofja Loka Recording of Slovene Month Names].Loški razgledi(in Slovenian).13.Muzejsko društvo Škofja Loka [Museum Society of Škofja Loka].ISSN0459-8210.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-01-08.
  3. ^The History of Rome,volume 4, The Revolution,ISBN1-4353-4597-5,page 4
  4. ^Stevans, C. M.; Daniels, Cora Linn (2003).Encyclopædia of superstitions, folklore, and the occult sciences of the world: a comprehensive library of human belief and practice in the mysteries of life.Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. p. 744.ISBN9781410209153.Retrieved30 December2020.
  5. ^"January Birth Flower: Flower Meaning".birthflowersguide.Archivedfrom the original on 2008-10-06.
  6. ^"January Birth Flowers".30 November 2023.
  7. ^"January National Codependency Awareness Month".Diane Jellen.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-01-05.
  8. ^"January is National Healthy Weight Awareness Month: Importance of Physical Fitness".usphs.gov.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-02-15.
  9. ^"Presidential Proclamation—Stalking Awareness Month".whitehouse.gov.21 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-01-27 – viaNational Archives.
  10. ^abChase's Calendar of Events 2013.The McGraw-Hill Companies.2013.ISBN9780071813334.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-09-23.Retrieved2016-09-20.
  11. ^"JANUARY 2009, AS" CALIFORNIA DRIED PLUM DIGESTIVE HEALTH MONTH "".Office of the Governor,State of California.November 20, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon March 7, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 1,2016.
  12. ^Hirsch, J. M. (August 18, 2004)."Food turns eating into stream of holidays".Associated PressviaKentucky New Era.
  13. ^Rem, Kathryn (March 9, 2010)."Yesterday was National Crabmeat Day and you missed it".The State Journal-Register.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2013.
  14. ^Gavilan, Jessica (February 7, 2006)."Mark your calendar".The Gainesville Sun.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2016.
  15. ^"The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared unconstitutional the day of RS".b92.net.Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2015.Retrieved9 January2016.
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