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December (from Latin decem, "ten") or mensis December was originally the tenth month of the Roman calendar, following November (novem, "nine") and preceding Ianuarius. It had 29 days. It had 29 days. When the calendar was reformed to create a 12-month year starting in Ianuarius, December became the twelfth month, but retained its name, as did ...
Start the holiday season with a festive December quote! They do a good job explaining what the chilly, joyful month is all about.
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December, from the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry. December's name derives from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC, which began in March ...
In the old Roman calendar (until perhaps as late as 153 BC), the mensis Martius ("Mars' Month") was the first month of the year. It is one of the few months to be named for a god, Mars, whose festivals dominate the month.
December 25 was the traditional date of the winter solstice in the Roman Empire, [26] where most Christians lived, and the Roman festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of Sol Invictus) had been held on this date since 274 AD. [27] In the East, the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection with the Epiphany on January 6.
According to the later writers Censorinus and Macrobius, to correct the mismatch of the correspondence between months and seasons due to the excess of one day of the Roman average year over the tropical year, the insertion of the intercalary month was modified according to the scheme: common year (355 days), leap year with 23-day February ...
CIL 4.5296 (or CLE 950) [a] is a poem found graffitied on the wall of a hallway in Pompeii.Discovered in 1888, it is one of the longest and most elaborate surviving graffiti texts from the town, and may be the only known love poem from one woman to another from the Latin world.
Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December in the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities until 19 December. By the 1st century BC, the celebration had been extended until 23 December, for a total of seven days of festivities. [ 1 ]