December and its folklore

The name for December comes from the Latin, 'the tenth month', and also the middle goddess of the Moirae (the Greek name for the Three Fates; the Roman equivalent is the Parcae), Decima, she who personifies the present.

It was, in fact, the tenth month when the year began in March with the Spring Equinox; but, since January and February have been intercalated, the name is a bit confusing.

Vesta (Roman goddess), patroness of fire, an archetypal symbol of the eternal present, also rules this month.

To the Saxons it was winter-monat, meaning 'winter cometh'. Then after Christianity came to the British Isles, it became heilig-monat, 'holy cometh'. It was also called midwinter-monath, and guil erra (Aerra Geola), meaning the former or first giul (or 'the month before Yule'). The Frankish term was Heilagmanoth, 'holy month', because of large number of religious festivals ...

Categories: calendar-customs, folklore, mythology, goddess, pagan, roman-mythology, rome