Thursday, July 13, 2006

Name that month

grass.jpgCreate new month names. You'll probably have time to create several sets!

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Our month names are curiosities, a mixture of gods, emperors and numbers, without much modern meaning. The Japanese only use numbers. In the past, the names were often tied to the seasons (planting, harvesting, strawberry picking, when the ponies shed their shaggy hair) or events for that time of the year.

Here's a translation of the month names from Charlemagne's time:
Winter
Spring
Lent
Easter
Grazing
Plowing
Hay
Harvest
Wood
Vintage
Autumn/Harvest
Holy
Many ancient people had 13 month years, coinciding with the 13 new moons in a year like the Abenaki:
Greetings Maker Moon
Makes Branches Fall In Pieces Moon
Moose Hunter Moon
Spring Season Maker Moon
Sugar Maker Moon
Field Maker Moon
Hoer Moon
Grass Cutter Moon
Cutter Moon
Corn Maker Moon
Leaf Falling Moon
Freezing River maker Moon
Winter Maker Moon
Here's a curious collection from the Aztecs, with 19 months.
Resurrection
Departure of the waters
Slaughtering of dogs
Little Vigil
Grand Vigil
Dry Thing
Meal of Corn and Bean
Little Feast of Lords
Grand Feast of Lords
Little Feast of The Dead
Grand Feast of The Dead
Sweeping
Small Hay
Large Hay
Flamingo
Raising of the Banners
Lowering of water
Shrinking
Empty Days

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