January 2006 Blogging Galore
Facts about January
Most of the world
uses the Georgian calendar, which has January as the first month of the
year. It is named for Janus, a Roman god.
Roman legend has it that the the ruler Numa Pompilius added January and
February to the end of the 10-month Roman calendar in about 700 B.C.
Pompilius gave the month 30 days. Romans later made January the first
month. In 46 B.C., the Roman statesman Julius Caesar added a day to
January, making it 31 days long.
The Anglo-Saxons called the first month Wolfmonth because wolves came
into the villages in winter in search of food.
In the northern
half of the world, January is the coldest month. Nature is quiet and
the birds travel less. The woodchucks and bears sleep day and night, in
hibernation. The plants are resting, waiting for the
warmer temperatures of the Spring. In the southern half of the world,
January is the warmest month. Animals are very active, and plants are
growing.