May - "grass. The origin of the names of the months of May May

Spring:

Spring - (usually Lada-mother and Lelya-daughter)
Lelya (Lalya) - the goddess of spring, the daughter of the goddess of beauty, love and fertility Lada. According to myths, it was inextricably linked with the spring revival of nature, the beginning of field work. The goddess was imagined as a young, beautiful, slender and tall girl.

Name "spring" has an Indo-European basis and denotes "early".
Of course, for many people, the arrival of spring brings them closer to such words as awakening, youth, dawn. All of them characterize the processes that occur with the advent of spring. Common folk names for spring are “fertile”, “all-awakening”.

Another name for spring is Kostroma.
This is the name of not only a Russian city, but also an East Slavic deity of spring and fertility. The image of the goddess was the dying and resurrecting face of a young woman.
It seems that the Snow Maiden is Kostroma ... she dies in the spring in a fire.

Why are the spring months so called?

The ancient Romans named the months after gods and goddesses, famous emperors, and in some cases according to their place in the calendar.

MARCH.
Latin: Martius.
The month got its name in honor of the Roman god of war and protection of Mars. Until the reign of Julius Caesar, March was the first month of spring, the beginning of the agricultural year, and was considered an auspicious time to start a seasonal military campaign.

The root Slavic-Russian names of this month in the old days in Russia were different: in the north it was called “dry” or “dry” from the spring warmth that drains all moisture, in the south - “berezozol”, from the action of the spring sun on a birch, which in this time begins to fill with sweet juice and buds, "zimobor" - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, "protalnik" - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches, drops appear.

In the Ukrainian language, the month is called "birch" (Ukrainian spring comes earlier, the birches are already blooming).

In Belarusian - "sakavik" (trees begin to sap).

APRIL.
Latin: Aprilis.
There is still controversy about the month of April. Main versions: It is believed that the name of this month comes from the Greek goddess Aphrodite. From the Latin word "aperire" - to open ("opens the spring"). Or from lat. aprilis, most likely related to apricus "warmed by the sun". April - literally - "sunny, warm" (month).

The old Russian names for the month of April were: “breezen”, “snegogon” - streams run, taking with them the remnants of snow, or else - “pollen”, because it is then that the first trees begin to bloom, spring blooms.

In the Ukrainian language, the month is called "kviten" (from "kvіtka" - a flower, the month of the beginning of flowering). In Belarusian - "beautiful" (very beautiful in spring).

MAY.

Latin: Maius.
The month of May was named after the Greek goddess Maya, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, spring, whose feast fell on this time.

The Slavic name "grass", "grass" - the active growth of herbs and greenery.

In Ukrainian, the month is called "traven". In Belarusian - "May".

Spring (painting by Botticelli)

The month of May got its name from the ancient Roman pagan deity of spring, the fertility of the earth, the growth and prosperity of Maya, who, according to ancient beliefs, was considered the mother of Brahma, the patron of human creativity.

There is another version of the origin of the name of this month. It is believed that it was formed from the Latin word "majoribus", which means "elder". It is the third and last month of the spring cycle.

Until today, many peoples (Ukrainians, Croats, Czechs, Macedonians, Bulgarians) have preserved another ancient name for the month, which has Slavic roots - May (from the word "grass", which appeared at that time). Also, our ancestors called it "May", "lawn", "bloom", "Yarets" (the last name means "spring bread"). This month, for the first time since the snow left the ground cover, a good owner went out into the field to sow spring crops. It is no coincidence that the Finnish name of the month - toukokuu - translates as "month of field work."

The ancient German word Wonnemond (the name of the month of May), which was used during the time of Charlemagne (8th-9th century), is translated as "pasture month". Its meaning is reminiscent of the fact that in May, for the first time, animals were driven out into the field. This usually happened after the celebration of the memory of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. This is also indicated by the folk saying, which has survived to this day: "May has come - push the cattle into the field", "Before Yuri, even a fool should have enough hay."

A feature of the last month of spring is that after the feast in honor of St. George the Victorious, the cuckoo begins to be heard in the forests. Her voice can be heard until Peter's Day (July 12), after which, as it was believed, the cuckoo falls silent, as if choking on a barley ear, which at that time comes out of the tubes.

By the way, the Lithuanian name of the month gegu comes from the word gegut - "Cuckoo".

May is the fifth month in the calendar. But it wasn't always like that. In the ancient Roman reckoning of days (before the reform of the Roman emperor Caesar), May was the third month of the year. In our country, until the 18th century (1700), the year began in September, and therefore this month was considered the ninth. The reform of the calendar of Peter I determined May the fifth place, which he still occupies. By the way, the Chinese and Japanese month of May is called "the fifth month".

The last month of spring generously endows lovers of being outdoors with an unusual richness of colors of the environment, which has awakened from winter sleep. May is the month of flowers and love, a period when all living things acquire a real flourishing, an unprecedented spiritual uplift is felt. But in the countries of the Southern continent (Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, parts of Africa and Asia, the islands of Oceania) there is a completely different pattern. In these countries, the month of May corresponds to our November. The time when the foliage has already completely flown around, the days have become even shorter and more and more often they remind of themselves the winter cold.

There are many superstitions associated with the month of May. It is believed that this month you can not get married and get married, make serious plans for the near future and implement them. This is evidenced by numerous sayings: "I would be glad to marry, but May does not give", "You wanted good in May", "Whoever is born in May will lose heart for the whole century." But where did it come from? Where do the origins lie, and is there any explanation for this?

Let us turn, first of all, to historical monuments. The Roman poet Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD) stated: “Only the harmful and depraved get married in May”, and Plutarch, the ancient Greek writer, author of moral-philosophical and historian-biographical works, remarked: “The Romans in May They DO NOT get married, but wait for June. "As you can see, even then, in times far from us, there was an opinion that it was impossible to play a wedding in the last month of the spring cycle. But why?

The fact is that May in ancient times was considered a month dedicated to the memory of dead people. In many countries, there are still sayings regarding this moment. So, in France they say: "May wedding - death wedding", in England they say even more gloomily: "May in the house - the coffin out of the house."

It was considered a shameful and shameful thing for our ancestors to go to woo in the last month of spring. "Good people don't get married in May," our ancestors used to say.

But there is another objective reason why it was not allowed to play weddings this month - agricultural work. As it was said at the very beginning of this material, May was the most troublesome month: to do everything, do everything. “One spring day feeds the year,” our grandfathers taught. Where can we go to wedding troubles? If the hot period of agricultural work ended, one could think about matchmaking and festivities.

Today, in the age of automation, technology and discovery, each person has the right to decide for himself when to play a wedding, listen to the voice of our ancestors, or be guided by his own opinion. The choice would only be made correctly, so that it would not have to be bitterly regretted later.

The May awakening is one of the shortest and most unforgettable moments of the year. Don't miss it!

May in Russia was called "grass" or "herbal"; among Czechs and Slovaks - “queuen”; among the Croats - “rose flower”, “roznyak”; Wends have “maynik”, “Friday”, “yellow fur”, “flower garden”, etc.
May is the celebration of green spring. May grass feeds even the hungry. In the birch forests there is a newborn shade and a slight coolness, in the wet meadows the bathing suit is golden. But no matter how fine May is, there are also cold weather. May's warmth is unreliable: "May will deceive, he will go into the forest." And people ask: "May - give hay to the horse, and climb onto the stove yourself." in May, the people said: “May decorates the forest, summer is waiting for a visit”; "May grass feeds the hungry"; “One May dew is better for horses than oats”; “March dry and wet May - there will be porridge and loaf”; May is cold - a year of grain. May, some peasants went to the wells to moisten the seeds in the hope of a future harvest, threw copper money into the bottom of the well. Others preferred to moisten the seeds with river water during three morning dawns, they did it secretly, otherwise the harvest would be poor (they were afraid of the evil eye of envious people). May (April 23). “Yegory came - spring will not leave”; “Egory the brave is a fierce enemy in winter”; "Egoriy unlocks the earth"; "Yuri dragged spring to the threshold." Yegoriev's Day - the day of the death of the Great Martyr George, according to the Christian calendar, was once considered among the Eastern Slavs a holiday almost more than Easter. Until now, among the Serbs and Bulgarians, Egoriev's Day is the most significant holiday of the year.
In very ancient ritual songs, the name of George-Gregory-Egoriy occupies an important place. Songs were once sung by a group of young people - carolers, starting from the second day of Pascha, throughout the holy week. These were spring carols, which expressed the wish for well-being to the whole house,

family, owner, household. They were supposed to magically act on the crop and the offspring of livestock. They were also called lunatics. In the songs, after an appeal - greetings to the owner, the drawers asked him to look out the window and look at the miracle - tables appeared in the yard:
All the holidays are on the tables:
The first is holy - Christ's day is great,
Another sacred - Yuri - Yegoriy.
In an open field, the statue saves,
Statok saves, drives home.
With the name of George the Victorious - Egor the Brave, many rituals, legends, works of spring folklore, which formed the so-called Yegoryevsky cycle, were associated. Both the rites and the folklore of this cycle had a magical meaning - they were supposed to protect livestock and improve fertility. The entertainment element was usually absent in them. The specificity of the cycle was that it combined agricultural, pastoral and marriage
rites.
The image of Egory himself - George, is also multifaceted, in which the life of a Christian saint who died a martyr's death on April 23, 303, was intertwined with the ancient myth of the winner of death and the myth of the victorious snake fighter, widespread among the peoples of Europe and Asia. On Slavic soil, he apparently absorbed the features of bright beneficent deities.
The fact that Yegoriy was celebrated at the end of April suggests that the Christian holiday in Russia was superimposed on some pagan holiday of spring, associated with the awakening of nature from hibernation, with the victory of spring over winter. For central Russia, this is the time of the first grass, the first offspring of a lamb or calf, the first milk, the first dew, the first rain, the first sowing - a holiday that falls on the time on which the well-being of the whole year depended. Egory in the spring, as it were, opened the period of agricultural suffering, the beginning of field work (Egory in the autumn, which fell on September 30, according to the old style or on October 13, according to the old style, field work was completed).
In the Egoryevsk rites, the remains of the cult of ancestors were preserved. On Egory they went to the burial grounds with wine and pies.
Among the Slavic peoples, Yuri was considered the patron of grass,
flowers, cereals. Among the Bulgarians, the St. George rites had a predominantly cattle-breeding character (“sheep holiday”), while among the Serbs, Croats, Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Russians, they were agricultural and livestock. Since a good harvest depends on soil moisture, and warm dews begin at the end of April, the people had the idea that Yegoriy unlocks the earth and releases the first dew.
Yegory, who unlocks the spring, is, according to popular belief, the owner of miraculous keys with which he unlocks the earth in spring and releases dew. There was this song:
Saint Yagorya took the keys of gold,
Went to the field
Rosa released.
dew warm,
Wet dew.

Dew on St. George's Day is the first, and therefore it was believed that it has miraculous powers. Early in the morning on Egoriev's day, the peasants rolled in the dew on the field meadows, believing: the one who rolls and rolls in the dew on St. George's Day will be as strong as St. George's dew.
"There is dew on Yagorya, millet will be kind."
From St. George's day to another, spring sowing began (“Egoriy will come, the plow in
the field will go). Rain is needed at this time, and hence many of the rites associated with the rain spell.
In the spring, in the Don province, the peasants, after the prayer service, bathed the priest in all his vestments. In the Kostroma province, earlier adults, later children called out, spoke the first rain:
Rain, rain
On a woman's rye,
For grandfather's wheat
On the devkin flax Water with a bucket.
The Macedonians have preserved the rite of Dodola to this day, which has the same function of a rain spell. The songs begin with a plea for rain, and then its fall is described. It was supposed to have magical power. “There is no price for St. George's rain,” say the Bulgarians.
No less than the patron of the fields, and among the southern Slavs and to a greater extent, St. George is the patron saint of cattle. A number of conspiracies, rituals, spells are also associated with the protection of livestock, which boiled down to protecting livestock from predators and diseases during grazing.
A common moment of the Yegoryevsk rites among various Slavic peoples was the pasture of cattle on St. George's Day in the field, on the "Yuryev dew". Moreover, they drove with a willow, consecrated on Lazarus Saturday. The owner or shepherd, hitting each animal with a willow, uttered a conspiracy: “Egory, you are our brave, you save our cattle, in the field and beyond the field, in the forest and beyond the forest, from a predatory wolf, from a fierce bear, from an evil beast.”
Conspiracies, calls to pasture cattle on St. George's Day sounded like this:
Father Egory, Saint Macarius!
Save our cattle, the whole animal -
In the field and beyond the field, in the forest and beyond the mountains,
A wolf, a bear, a stump and a deck, and a white birch,
Wood pebble!
For our calves, grass-ant,
Green meadow.

If among the Eastern Slavs the rite on St. George's Day consisted mainly of ritual pasture of cattle in the field, conspiracies, rounds of yards with carolers, then among the southern Slavs milking of sheep was in the center.
But Yuriy-Egoriy was for all peoples, without exception, not only the guardian of fields, crops, livestock, offspring, but also the defender of general well-being. It was believed that well-being, fertility and in the family depended on it.
In a number of provinces of Russia, young people “led Yurya” - they chose a guy, hung him with green branches, wreaths and put a large round cake decorated with flowers on his head. They went into the field in a crowd and sang songs. Three times the youth bypassed the sown fields (winter), then at the crossroads of paths-borders they made a round fire, in the middle of which they put a “prayer”. Everyone sat around and shared the cake. They believed: the girl who got a piece with more stuffing would get married.
In Serbia, on St. George's Day, at sunrise, they went to swim in the river in order to avert eternal evil from themselves, and women and girls took water from the whirlpool and brought it into the house as miraculous. The girls used it to tell fortunes about their future, suitors, happiness, marriage, friendliness. Hence the rite of "Yurenya" - the conclusion of friendship on May 6 (April 23) for the whole year. On St. George's Day, girls and women dressed up especially carefully. Probably, this is where the saying came from: "Dresses up like a woman on St. George's Day." May (April 30) - Jacob. According to signs: a warm, quiet starry night - to a dry dry summer.
The next day - Yeremey-harness, "jaremnik". “It’s nicer on Yeremey, cleaning is good”; and about themselves they said: "This week after Yegor, and another after Yeremey."
May 15 (2) - nightingale holiday. Borisov day. According to signs: "The nightingale sang - the water subsided." Field work in full swing: "Boris and Gleb are sowing bread." Nettle, sorrel, garden greens grow. Now there is something to cook cabbage soup with. "Mavra came up - green cabbage soup." Mavra the Milkmaid (May 16, New Style or May 3, Old Style). Cows from the herd begin to come full. (5) May - Arina nursery. Cabbage seedlings are planted in the beds. May - June 1, new style.
but

Each year is divided into 4 seasons, and each season into 3 months. As a result, every year we live for 12 months and each of them is unique in its own way and is associated for us with different events. Naturally, each month has its own unique name. Do you know where these names came from? In this article, we will just tell you about the origin of the names of the months.

1. January. The first month of the new year got its name in honor of the god Janus - the god of time, doors and gates. Symbolically, this can be deciphered as "The door to the new year."

2. February. February has always been considered the coldest month of the year. No wonder in the days of the Slavs it was called lute ("severe frost"). But the month of February itself is named after the Etruscan god Februus, the god of the underworld.

3. March. The first month of spring was named after the ancient Roman god of war, Mars, father of Romulus. But what about spring and the god of war? and despite the fact that Mars was not only the god of war, but also the god of farmers and rural workers. The ancient Slavs called this month "protalnik" due to the fact that the snow began to melt and the first thawed patches appeared.

4. April. This month was again named after the ancient god, or rather the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite. In this month, everything blooms, a spring mood appears, therefore, among the Slavs, this month was also called pollen and birch.

5. May. The warmest spring month was again named after the goddess, or rather the ancient Roman goddess Maya, who personified the fertile land and blossoming nature. The Slavs called this month Traven.

6. June. The first summer month was named after the famous ancient Roman goddess Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter, was the goddess of fertility, the mistress of rain and the keeper of marriage. The Slavs called this month izok (“grasshopper”) or worm.

7. July. The hottest summer month was named, surprisingly, not in honor of a god or goddess, but in honor of the well-known Roman emperor. Before that, July was called "Quintilius", which meant "Fifth", and it was the fifth because before the year began not from January, but from March.

8. August. The name of this month also came from the famous Roman emperor Octavian Augustus. Before that, the month was called "Sextilius", which meant (I think everyone understood) "Sixth". As mentioned earlier, the year in the Roman calendar used to begin with March, so August was also the sixth month. The Slavs called this month "Serpen", i.e. time to mow the grass.

9. September. The name came simply from the word "Seven" (Septem - September). I think it's okay to comment here. Everything has been said above. Our ancestors called this month "Frowning" due to the fact that in this month the sky began to frown.

10. October. Everything is similar here. The fantasy is over. The number "Eight" in Latin was pronounced as "Octo", hence October (October), i.e. eighth month. The Slavs also called knead plainly - Listopad.

11. November. No comment. Novem was translated as "Nine", i.e. ninth month (November).

12. December. The first winter month and the last month of the outgoing year! But it was also named after its serial number "Tenth" (Decem - December).

And what do we see? The first 6 months were named after the ancient Gods and Goddesses, the two summer months were named after the ancient Roman emperors, and the last four months were not named, so they are serial numbers. But nevertheless, this is a very interesting topic and now you know the origin of the names of all the months.

How and why are the months called in the Slavic languages.

In many languages, including English and Russian, month names are based on Latin. In the Slavic languages, each month had its own name, and more than one.

January

Latin: Januarius. Named after the god Janus.
The Slavic name "Prosinets" - roofing felts from "shine" - means the rebirth of the Sun, or from the emerging blue of the sky in January. The Little Russian name for January is "sochen". After gray December, the colors of nature become juicy and bright.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "sichen"
In Belarusian - "studen"

February

Latin: Februarius. Named in honor of the feast of the purification of Februa.
Slavic name "Sechen", "Bokogrey", "Wind blower" and "Lute"
Time to cut down trees to clear the land for arable land. Bokogrey - cattle in the sun goes out to bask. It was also called "low water" (between winter and spring). The winds are cold in February. But it still rages. Because of the frequent blizzards and snowstorms, February was also called “wind blower” and “lute”. In February, there are large frosts, which are respectively called: Kashcheevs (February 2), Velesovs (February 11).
In Ukrainian, the month is called "lyuty"
In Belarusian, he is "fierce"

March

Latin: Martius. Named after the god Mars.
The Slavic name is "Dry" - the earth dries up from the falling snow.
This month was also called Zimobor, protalnik, berezozol (March). The root Slavic-Russian names of this month in the old days in Russia were different: in the north it was called dry or dry from the spring warmth that drains all moisture, in the south - berezosol, from the action of the spring sun on the birch, which at that time begins to fill with sweet juice and buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, prothalnik - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "birch". Ukrainian spring comes earlier.
In Belarusian - "sakavik"

April

Latin: Aprilis. Named after the goddess Aphrodite or from the Latin word aperire - to open.
The old Russian names of the month of April were: breezen, snow-driving - streams run, carrying away the remnants of snow, or else - pollen, because it is then that the first trees begin to bloom, spring blooms.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "kviten"
In Belarusian - "beautiful". Beautiful in Belarus in April.

May

Latin: Maius. On behalf of the ancient Roman goddess of spring Maya.
The Slavic name is "Traven", "herbal" - a riot of herbs and greenery. Nature is flourishing.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "traven"
In Belarusian - "May"

June

Latin: Junius. On behalf of the ancient Roman goddess Juno, wife of the god Jupiter.
In the old days, the indigenous Russian names for the month of June were izok. Izok was the name given to the grasshopper, of which this month was especially abundant. Another name for this month is a worm, especially common among Little Russians, from a worm or a worm; this is the name of a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. In addition, in the old days, the month of June was often called kresnik by the people - from kres (fire), and at the same time from the day of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala).
In Ukrainian, the month is called "worm"
In Belarusian - "cherven"

July

Latin: Julius. Named after Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Previously called quintilium from the word quintus - the fifth, because it was the 5th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
In our country, in the old days, it was called, like June, - worm - from fruits and berries, which, ripening in July, are distinguished by a special reddishness (scarlet, red). This month is also called Lipts - from the linden, which is usually in full bloom at this time. July is also called the “crown of summer”, since it is considered the last month of summer, or else “sufferer” - from suffering summer work, “thunderstorm” - from severe thunderstorms.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "lipen"
In Belarusian - "lipen"

August

Latin: Augustus Named after Emperor Augustus in 8 BC. Previously called sextile from the word sextus - the sixth, because it was the 6th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
Slavic name "Serpen" - time to mow wheat. In the north, it was called "glow" - from the radiance of lightning; in the south, "serpen" - from the sickle, which is used to remove bread from the fields. Often this month is given the name "zornichnik", in which it is impossible not to see the changed old name "glow". The name "stubble", I think, will be unnecessary to explain.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "serpen"
In Belarusian - almost the same - "zhniven"

September

Latin: September. From the word septem - seven, because it was the 7th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was "ruyin", from the roar of the autumn winds and animals, especially deer. He received the name "frown" due to his weather differences from others - the sky often frowns, it rains, autumn comes in nature.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "spring"
In Belarusian - "verasen"

October

Latin: October. From the word octo - eight, because it was the 8th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
The Slavic name is "Leaf fall" - well, everything is obvious here. He also bore the name "pazdernik" - from pazderi, bonfires, since this month they begin to knead flax, hemp, and manners. Otherwise - "dirty", from the autumn rains, causing bad weather and dirt, or "wedding" - from weddings that are celebrated at this time in peasant life.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "zhovten"
In Belarusian - "kastrychnik"

November

Latin: November. From the word novem - nine, because it was the 9th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
Slavic name "Breast". In the old days, this month was called actually chest or chest, from piles of frozen earth with snow. In general, in the Old Russian language, the winter frozen road was called the chest path. In the Dahl Dictionary, the regional word pile is "frozen ruts along the road, frozen hummocky mud."
In Ukrainian, the month is called "leaf fall"
In Belarusian - "listapad"

December

Latin: December. From the word decem - ten, because it was the 10th month of the old Roman calendar. The year began with March.
The Slavic name "Studen" is a cold month, after all.
In Ukrainian, the month is called "breast"
In Belarusian, he is a snowman