It's likely that there were several seasonal harvest based calendars in use in Europe at one time. The evidence for this is fairly weighty, yielded by remaining folk-names for Moon's of regional harvests throughout the year, in a few old languages. .
For example, look at the names of the months in Frisian, an old language spoken in northern-Nederlands, the names of the months in Czech, spoken in the Czech Republic, and the names of the months in Finnish, spoken in Finland.
|
English |
Frisian |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
slachtmoanne |
slachter: butcher slachte: sex |
moanne, moon |
|
December |
wintermoanne |
winter: winter |
moanne, moon |
|
January |
- |
- |
moanne, moon |
|
February |
sellemoanne |
seldsum: rare sels: self |
moanne, moon |
|
March |
foarjiersmoanne |
foar: before, in front of, in order to jier: year |
moanne, moon |
|
April |
gersmoanne |
gers: grass, herb |
moanne, moon |
|
May |
blommemoanne |
blom: blossom, bloom |
moanne, moon |
|
June |
simmermoanne |
simmer: summer |
moanne, moon |
|
July |
haaimoanne |
haai: shark haai: high??? haad: chief, head |
moanne, moon |
|
August |
rispmoane |
rispje, rispinge: harvest |
moanne, moon |
|
September |
hjerstmaonne |
hjest: autumn hjit: hot |
moanne, moon |
|
October |
wynmoanne |
wyn: wine wyn: wind |
moanne, moon |
|
(13th leap month) |
?wynmoanne? |
?wind moon? |
moanne, moon |
... continue here ...
|
English |
Czech |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
listopad listo-opad |
listovi = leaves |
- |
|
December |
prosinec |
prosit = ask [notice Russian prost similarity, "meaning to your health" |
- |
|
January |
leden |
led = freeze-over |
- |
|
February |
unor |
unos = abduction |
- |
|
March |
brezen |
brezi = in foal |
- |
|
April |
duben |
dub = oak tree |
- |
|
May |
kveten, maj |
kveteni = flowerage |
- |
|
June |
cerven |
cerven = scarlet |
- |
|
July |
cervenec |
cervenat = claret (red wine) |
- |
|
August |
srpen |
srpek = crescent |
- |
|
September |
zari |
zar = heat |
- |
|
October |
rijen |
rijeni = bell |
- |
|
(13th leap month) |
- |
bell month??? |
- |
|
English |
Croatian |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
studeni |
studiram, studij: study |
- |
|
December |
prosinac |
proslava: celebration proslavili: to celebrate |
- |
|
January |
sijecanj |
snijeg topi: snow falls snijeg: snow |
- |
|
February |
veljaca |
volim te: I love you velik: large
|
- |
|
March |
ozujak |
osvojiti: to win |
- |
|
April |
travanj |
traziti: to look for |
- |
|
May |
svibanj |
svijet: world svima: everyone |
- |
|
June |
lipanj |
- |
- |
|
July |
srpanj |
- |
- |
|
August |
kolovoz |
koliko: how much vozi: to drive |
- |
|
September |
rujan |
rucka: handle on a door rucka: lunch roditi se: to be born rijeka: river |
- |
|
October |
listopad |
- |
- |
|
(13th leap month) |
- |
Extremely similar to Czech but with many different names |
- |
|
English |
Finnish |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
marraskuu |
maa 1. country, land 2. ground, grounds, terrain 3. earth, land, soil markkinat 1. fair, market 2. market, sales activity marssia 1. march, walk |
kuu, moon |
|
December |
joulukuu |
joulu 1. Christmas, Yule |
kuu, moon |
|
January |
tammikuu |
-ta 1. of |
kuu, moon |
|
February |
helmikuu |
helmi 1. pearl |
kuu, moon |
|
March |
maaliskuu |
maali 1. aim, goal, purpose |
kuu, moon |
|
April |
huhtikuu |
huilu 1. flute hukkua 1. drown hullu 1. crazy, insane, mad, nuts hummeri 1. lobster hunaja 1. honey huutaa 1. cry out, scream, shout huvi 1. fun, pleasure huvittaa 1. amuse |
kuu, moon |
|
May |
toukokuu |
toukka 1. caterpillar |
kuu, moon |
|
June |
kesäkuu |
kesä 1. summer |
kuu, moon |
|
July |
heinäkuu |
heinät 1. hay |
kuu, moon |
|
August |
elokuu |
ele 1. gesture iloinen 1. cheerful, gay, merry jalo 1. noble |
kuu, moon |
|
September |
syyskuu |
syksy 1. autumn |
kuu, moon |
|
October |
lokakuu |
loka 1. mud |
kuu, moon |
|
(13th leap month) |
- |
- |
kuu, moon |
|
English |
Polish |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
listopad listo-opad |
listovi = leaves |
- |
|
December |
grudzien |
working on
|
- |
|
January |
styczen |
working on
|
- |
|
February |
luty |
working on
|
- |
|
March |
marsz, pochod |
working on
|
- |
|
April |
kwiecien |
working on
|
- |
|
May |
maj |
working on
|
- |
|
June |
czerwiec |
working on
|
- |
|
July |
lipiec |
- |
|
|
August |
sierpien |
working on
|
- |
|
September |
wrzesien |
working on
|
- |
|
October |
pazdziernik |
working on
|
- |
|
(13th leap month) |
- |
- |
- |
|
English |
Welsh |
Definition |
Definition |
|
November |
Tachwedd (mis Tachwedd) |
tad, tadau: father tad-cu: grandfather mis: month |
- |
|
December |
Rhagfyr |
rhagfur: bulwark, rampart rhagfwriad: forethought rhagfynegi: foretell, forecast, predict |
- |
|
January |
Ionawr |
iod: iota, jot, tiny speck Io+n: the Lord Io+r: the Lord iorwg: ivy nawr: now |
- |
|
February |
Chwefror (Chwefrol) |
chwedl: a fable that represents a deeper truth. chweg: sweet, pleasant chwen [chwyn, f.] - (n.) weed chwerthin [m.] - (n.) laughter ffrwd, ffrydiau: stream, torrent, jet, current, gush, rill ffrydio [ffrydi-] - (v.) stream, gush, jet Ffraid - (prop.n.) Bride, Bridget ffrio: fry; hiss, fizz ffril [-ion, m.] - (n.) bauble ffridd: mountain pasture, sheep walk
|
|
|
March |
- |
- |
|
|
April |
Ebrill |
ebran: provender, fodder, forage
ebrwydd: quick, swift, soon, instant |
- |
|
May |
Mai |
maeden: slut, hussy, jade, minx mael: gain, profit; traffic maen: stone maes: field, domain, province, purview maeth: nourishment, nutriment, aliment, nurture, nutrition |
- |
|
June |
Mehefin |
meheryn: ram or wether [castrated sheep] hefin: similar heffer: heifer
|
- |
|
July |
Gorffennaf |
gorffennol: past gorffenn: finish, complete, conclude, achieve |
- |
|
August |
Awst |
Awstin: Augustine |
- |
|
September |
Medi |
medel: reaping, mow; reaping party medi: reap |
- |
|
October |
Hydref |
hydref, hydrefau: autumn |
- |
|
(13th leap month) |
- |
- |
- |
Copyright © J. G. Jones