names of the months

January is the first month of the year. January is named for Janus, the Roman god of doors and gates. Also, the word 'janitor', with the previous meaning of 'doorkeeper', comes from the name od two-faced Janus.

The names of February comes either from the Roman god Februus or else from 'februa', the festivals of purification celebrated in Rome every fifteenth of this month.

March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. The connection is even easier to make in French, where March is simply 'Mars'.

April is named in honour of the ancient goddess of love, Aphrodite. Another theory is that the name could come from the Latin word 'aperire', meaning 'to open', referring to flowers opening in spring.

May is likely to have been named after the Roman goddess Maia, though there is a theory that May might have its name from the Latin 'Maiores', meaning 'Seniors'.