Where did the months get their names

Summer is here, July has just started and we really are not in the mood for an advanced English lesson, aren´t we?

Consequently, today´s lesson it´s about a fun fact, this time related with how the months of the calendar got their names.

Did you know that July and August didn´t exist in the ancient Roman calendar? And that both were named after two Caesars? Or that in the ancient Rome the first month of the year wasn´t January but March?

Let´s learn all this things with this short video!

VOCABULARY

 

To lay out: to spread as to be easily seen. 

Bud: a part of a plant that develops into a leaf or a flower.

Wedding: an official ceremony at which two persons get married.

Bunch: a number of things of the same type that are joined together.

Unaffiliated: with no connection between them.

Equinox: the time when the sun crosses the equator, twice a year. The spring equinox is around the 21^st of March and the autumn equinox around the 23^rd of September.

Mess: a situation in which there are a lot of problems.

Stuck: past simple and past participle of to stick (to put something somewhere).

Fashion: a way of behaving, dressing, etc. which is popular at a certain time.

 

Where do the days of the week get their names

Today I´m going to start a new label of my posts that it´s going to be called fun facts.

In English, the expression fun fact is used to introduce some interesting, and usually unknown, information. Usually is not important information but something curious or unexpected.

For example, have you ever thought about where the days of the week got their names?

One hint, it has to do with astrology, the planets, the sun and the moon (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). But it´s also related with the ancient mythologies, the Roman Empire and the history of Europe…

You see? It´s something curious but not really important so… it´s a fun fact!

I´ve recently found an amazing Youtube channel from Arika Okrent with many fun facts videos related to the English language, so let´s watch this short video to learn the day´s names and in the future I will post other interesting videos.

Enjoy it!

VOCABULARY

To rule: to control or be the person in charge of something such as a country.

God: a spirit or being believed to control some part of the universe or life and often worshipped for doing so.

Mythology: ancient story or set of stories, especially explaining the early history of a group of people or about natural events and facts, generally including gods, goddesses and supernatural beings or phenomena.

Goddess: female of God.