Why is the First Month Called January? (+ More Fun Facts)

Did you ever wonder where the month of January got its name? Me too. I did a little research and here is what I found.

The first month of the year is called January, the name comes from the ancient Roman god Janus. Janus is a god with 2 heads. One head looks ahead and the other looks behind.

Keep reading to learn more interesting facts about this Roman god who is always looking forward and backward.


Why is the First Month Called Janua...
Why is the First Month Called January? (+ More Fun Facts)

January is the first month of the year. It’s a time for serious thoughts.  

We look back at the year behind us, and we can see all of our experiences and everything we learned in the past 365 days.  

We also look forward to the coming year. We plan and work to improve our lives. 

white blank notebook
The coming year is a book full of empty pages. We can write whatever we like.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com

So we look at our past year and use what we have learned to prepare us for the new year.

We look forward and back, a little bit like the Roman god Janus. Janus has two heads that face in opposite directions. One looks back to the past year and one looks forward to the New Year.

Janus

By Loudon dodd – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
SOURCE

Do you ever wonder where the Season names came from? Autumn Or Fall? 4 Season Names (Learn their origins HERE)

Janus’ name comes from a Latin word that means “door.” Doors can symbolize opening and closing, beginning and ending, so it’s a good meaning to use at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. SOURCE

symbolize verb (symbolize something) to be a symbol of something
synonym represent

  • “The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil.”

Did you know? One of the moons of Saturn is also called “Janus.” It is named after the same Roman god.

So the first month of the year is called January, a name that comes from Janus. A god who looks ahead and behind.

What did you learn from this past year? What are your plans and your hopes for the coming year?

Welcome to a new year.
A new beginning. 
A fresh start.

I wish you all the best this coming year and every year!

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