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Book of Days

• Introduction
• Origins of the Months' Names
• The Calendars:
  January | February | March | April | May | June | July
  August | September | October | November | December

Introduction

Since the beginning of civilization people have kept track of the days in order to know when to plant crops and to prepare for winter. They made notches on sticks or knotted cords once each day to record the passing of time; they watched the changing positions of the sun, the phases of the moon, and the habits of plants and animals. The making of an exact calendar, however, perplexed mankind for ages because the divisions of time by days, weeks, months, and years did not seem to fit together properly.

The Mesopotamians were probably the first people to make a calendar. They used the phases of the moon, counting twelve lunar months as a year. To make up for the difference between this year and the year of the seasons, they inserted an extra month in the calendar about every four years. The early Egyptians, Greeks, and Semitic peoples copied this calendar. Later the Egyptians worked out a calendar that corresponded almost exactly to the seasons.

The early Romans also used a calendar that was based on the moon. The year in this calendar was 355 days long. The months corresponding to March, May, July,and October each had 31 days; February had 28 days; and the rest had 29. An extra month was added about every fourth year. The high priest regulated the calendar. On the calends, or day of the new moon, he announced to the people the times of the nones (first quarter) and ides (full moon) for that month.

Most of the holy days celebrated or noted in Pagan and Christian religions are fixed, meaning that they are celebrated on the same day every year. Other sacred or festival days are movable and change every year as the equinoxes and solstices vary by as much as a day from year to year.

Many of the traditions and customs practiced on holy days and during celebrations can be traced back to the Druids. Animals, stones, plants, and other natural items and locales were endowed with feelings which were incorporated into festivals and celebrations. These customs were so firmly established in the hearts and minds of the people, that when Christianity was finding a foothold in the British Isles, the Church of Rome integrated and sanctified them. The Church slowly drew the people in by allowing old festivals to continue with a coat of Christianity overlaid upon them. The magical powers believed to be associated with specific things and places were transferred, their powers now attributed to God.