By Lenard R. Mahaarachchi We have seen the dawn of another international New Year, AD 2013 of the Christian year. Within this calendar year there are several other new year’s, reckoned by various social groups, like Thai Pongal that marks the beginning of a new year in the Hindu calendar or the Sinhala and Tamil [...]

The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

How the months of the year were named

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By Lenard R. Mahaarachchi

We have seen the dawn of another international New Year, AD 2013 of the Christian year. Within this calendar year there are several other new year’s, reckoned by various social groups, like Thai Pongal that marks the beginning of a new year in the Hindu calendar or the Sinhala and Tamil New Year that will be celebrated on April 13, marking the transit of the Sun from Meena to Mesha. While that is the local scenario, there are new year days particular to different countries globally, such as the Chinese New Year.
In ancient times, the year had only 304 days as against the 365 (366 in the Leap year) in a year, covered by 10 months as against the dozen we have now.

The new year then commenced on March 1 and there was no January or February in the old calendar as is now. The year of that period ended in December and the period up to March did not get included in the calendar due to the cold season. In 71 BC, the Roman Governor Pompilius extended the year from 304 to 365 days with a 12 month period in a year, commencing from January.

It was the Babylonians who invented the calendar year according to the cycle of the moon. Though the Babylonians are said to have invented the new lunar year, the naming of its months was the work of the ancient Greeks who were instrumental in naming the months in a calendar year.

(To be continued…)




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