Facts about the month of April

About the month of April

"April (pronunciation) (help·info) is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 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. It became the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it also was given 29 days. The derivation of the name (Latin Aprilis) is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the Latin aperire, "to open," in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to "open," which is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of ἁνοιξις (opening) for spring. Since most of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to Venus, the Festum Veneris et Fortunae Virilis being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her Greek name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from the Etruscan name Apru. Jacob Grimm suggests the name of a hypothetical god or hero, Aper or Aprus.

The Anglo-Saxons called April Oster-monath or Eostur-monath. The Venerable Bede says that this month is the root of the word Easter. He further speculates that the month was named after a goddess Eostre whose feast was in that month. St George's day is the twenty-third of the month; and St Mark's Eve, with its superstition that the ghosts of those who are doomed to die within the year will be seen to pass into the church, falls on the twenty-fourth. In China the symbolic ploughing of the earth by the emperor and princes of the blood takes place in their third month, which frequently corresponds to our April. The Finns called (and still call) this month Huhtikuu, or 'Burnwood Month', when the wood for beat and burn clearing of farmland was felled.

The "days of April" (journées d'avril) is a name appropriated in French history to a series of insurrections at Lyons, Paris and elsewhere, against the government of Louis Philippe in 1834, which led to violent repressive measures, and to a famous trial known as the procès d'avril.

April starts on the same day of the week as July in all years, and January in leap years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April Symbols

• Zodiac Signs: Aries / The Ram, Mar. 21 - Apr. 19 - Taurus / The Bull, Apr. 20 - May 20

• The name for the Moon in April is Egg Moon, Grass Moon, Hare Moon

• Find out when the Full Moon in April is.

• April Birthstone: Diamond, White Sapphire / Meaning: Innocence

________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Birthday Aries! - April

Individuals born when the Sun was in this sign are considered "Aries individuals" or "Arians". In Western astrology, Aries is considered a "masculine", positive (extrovert) sign. It is also considered a fire sign, and is one of four cardinal signs. Aries is ruled by the planet Mars. Being the first sign in the zodiac, Aries is associated with the astrological first house. Furthermore, Aries is known as the pioneer of the Zodiac, and therefore, Ariens like to be first. The Sanskrit name of Aries in Hindu astrology is Meṣa.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Daisy is the Flower of the month for April:

Celebrate the fresh bloom of daisies and sweet peas which symbolize curiosity, playfulness and tenaciousness. Sweet Pea, which means "I think of thee." Each month has a flower that symbolizes the month of somebody's birth. Every month has a flower that is sometimes referred to as a Birth Month Flower. Daffodils are the first flower to rise through the snowy ground, signifying the coming of Spring - a natural time for new birth and renewal. In the Victorian days, Daffodils represented chivalry. Today is represents hope. • not to be confused with your birthday flower

Weird April Holidays

Our monthly calendar is packed full of unique, strange, bazaar, wacky and weird holidays that make perfect Theme Parties if your looking for something wild to celebrate. (can also be known as Unofficial Holidays) Strange holidays like these are taking on a new popularity in today's culture and can be celebrated world wide even though most listed were first made popular in the United States. Most weird holidays honor some kind of wacky invention or a fun and bazaar thing to do. • Dates for Friday the 13th • Weird Holiday Directory

April Food Holidays

Although major holidays such as Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving, are referred to as food holidays, we are actually talking about daily observances that's held in honor of a certain food. Did you know that each month has foods that represent it? It sure does! Just about every day in the month is celebrated by a food holiday. Plus month and week observances too! • Recipe Directory for Traditional Holiday Food

Spring - March 20 through June 20 -

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring runs from March into June, and in the Southern Hemisphere it runs from September into November. Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life (both plant and animal) being born. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times, as in the Prague Spring. • List of Winter Festivals • List of Spring Festivals • List of Summer Festivals • Send Spring E-Greetings!

Movable April Holidays

Movable Holidays are ones that do not always occur on the same day or date each year. Movable Holidays are also the hardest holidays to keep up because individuals will unknowingly list them as occurring on the same day each year when they are indeed a movable holiday.

Reasons To Celebrate

There are many types of holidays and many reasons to celebrate each day! This section of our website is a day to day directory for around the world observances. Our wish is to give you a better understanding of the holidays for each day, so you too can join in the celebrations. Yes, there really is a Holidays for everyday.

April Observances: It's National Month of? It's National Week of? It's National Day of?

The month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural "period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates."

Our calendar has a list of holidays observed for the whole month.

National Egg Salad Week - First full week right after Easter (March or April)

To apprecipate the great taste of homemade egg salad. If you've never had it before, give it a try. Let today be the day you boil, mash and mix your way to a great egg spread that's great for the lunch box and in your picnic basket too. • Egg Salad Recipes

Gnocchi Day (29) Argentina / Food Holiday

"The Europeans brought many of their influences to Argentina and one of their great contributions was the gnocchi. Apparently Argentineans were pretty impressed with this food because it not only received its own day of the year, it received its own 12 days of the year. The 29th of every month is Gnocchi Day, (or as the Argentineans call it “ñoquis del 29″)" • How to celebrate Gnocchi Day • Gnocchi Recipe

________________________________________________________________________________________

Resources: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses some material from Wikipedia/article April / and other related pages. Top Photo: homestead stock

Note: We try to keep our information up to date but it must be said that organizations sometimes change the date of their holiday and many holidays are actual movable holidays which means the date will change from year to year. We try to keep you up to date but we do suggest that you not take our research set in stone. We ask that you let our information be a guide to you as you continue to do your own calendar research. :) Thank You! • •