The month of July

July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. The seventh month of the year was named by Mark Antony for Julius Caesar. The Roman calendar had previously called it Quintilis, as it was the fifth month of their year.

The Dutch called this month Hooy-maand ('hay-month'), and the old Saxon name was Maedd-monath (because the cattle were sent to the meadows to feed) and Lida aeftevr (the second mild or genial month). Just to confuse things, the Saxons also called this time of year Hen-monath (probably 'foliage month'), a word most likely derived from the German hain, meaning 'wood' or 'trees'. Another Saxon term was Hey-monath because at this time they mowed and made hay.

The old Irish name is based on 'Julius', namely, Iuil. The Frankish name for the month of July is related to Hewimanoth, meaning hay month, a name that continues in modern Ásatrú as Haymoon. In American backwoods tradition, this is Buck Moon.

In the French Republican calendar it was called Messidor (harvest-month, June 19 to July 18) ...

Categories: month, season, calendar-customs, almanac