The folklore of October

October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. From the Latin octo for ‘eight’ (it was originally the eighth month of the year, before January and February were inserted). October begins on the same day of week as January, except in leap years.

The old Dutch name for October was Wynmaand and the Old English was Winmonath (Wine-month, or the time of vintage; the month for treading the wine-vats); also Teomonath (tenth-month) and Winter-fylleth (Winter full-moon). In some Saxon calendars, the month was allegorised by the figure of a husbandsman carrying a sack on his shoulders, sowing corn. Sometimes, October is personified as a vineyard worker riding on Scorpio ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, folklore