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April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, the fifth in the early Julian and one of four months with a length of 30 days.
April (i/ˈeɪprɪl/ AY-pril) is commonly associated with the season of spring in parts of the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to October in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.
Contents
- 1 Background
- 2 April observances
- 2.1 Month-long observances
- 2.2 Non-Gregorian observances, 2016
- 2.3 Movable observances, 2016 dates
- 2.3.1 First Saturday - April 2
- 2.3.2 First Sunday - April 3
- 2.3.3 First full week - April 3-9
- 2.3.4 Week of the New Moon - April 3-9
- 2.3.5 First Wednesday - April 6
- 2.3.6 Second Friday of April - April 8
- 2.3.7 Week of April 14 - April 10-16
- 2.3.8 Second Thursday - April 14
- 2.3.9 Third Saturday - April 16
- 2.3.10 Third Monday - April 18
- 2.3.11 Third Wednesday - April 20
- 2.3.12 First Thursday after April 18 - April 21
- 2.3.13 Third Thursday - April 21
- 2.3.14 Last Sunday - April 24
- 2.3.15 Last full week of April - April 24-30
- 2.3.16 Wednesday of last full week of April - April 27
- 2.3.17 Fourth Thursday - April 28
- 2.3.18 Last Friday - April 29
- 2.3.19 Last Saturday - April 30
- 2.3.20 Movable Western Christian Observances - 2016
- 2.3.21 Movable Eastern Christian Observances - 2016
- 2.4 Fixed observances
- 3 April symbols
- 4 Start and end days in relation to other months
- 5 See also
- 6 References and sources
- 7 External links
Background
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410080805im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Les_Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_avril.jpg/220px-Les_Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_avril.jpg)
The Romans gave this month the Latin name Aprilis[1] but the derivation of this name is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the verb aperire, "to open", in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to "open", which is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of άνοιξη (ánixi) (opening) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus, her Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from the Etruscan name Apru. Jacob Grimm suggests the name of a hypothetical god or hero, Aper or Aprus.[2]
April was the second month of the earliest Roman calendar, before Ianuarius and Februarius were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC. It became the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it also was given 29 days. The 30th day was added during the reform of the calendar undertaken by Julius Caesar in the mid-40s BC, which produced the Julian calendar.
The Anglo-Saxons called April ēastre-monaþ. The Venerable Bede says in The Reckoning of Time that this month ēastre is the root of the word Easter. He further states that the month was named after a goddess Eostre whose feast was in that month. It is also attested by Einhard in his work, Vita Karoli Magni.
St George's day is the twenty-third of the month; and St Mark's Eve, with its superstition that the ghosts of those who are doomed to die within the year will be seen to pass into the church, falls on the twenty-fourth.
In China the symbolic ploughing of the earth by the emperor and princes of the blood took place in their third month, which frequently corresponds to April.[citation needed] In Finnish April is huhtikuu, meaning slash-and-burn moon, when gymnosperms for beat and burn clearing of farmland were felled.[3]
In Slovene, the most established traditional name is mali traven, meaning the month when plants start growing. It was first written in 1466 in the Škofja Loka manuscript.[4]'
The month Aprilis had 30 days; Numa Pompilius made it 29 days long; finally Julius Caesar’s calendar reform made it again 30 days long, which was not changed in the calendar revision of Augustus Caesar in 8 BC.
In Ancient Rome, the festival of Cerealia was held for seven days from mid-to-late April, but exact dates are uncertain. Feriae Latinae was also held in April, with the date varying. Other ancient Roman observances include Veneralia (April 1), Megalesia (April 10-16), Fordicidia (April 15), Parilia (April 21), Vinalia Urbana, Robigalia, and Serapia were celebrated on (April 25). Floralia was held April 27 during the Republican era, or April 28 on the Julian calendar, and lasted until May 3. However, these dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.
The Lyrids meteor shower appears on April 16-April 26 each year, with the peak generally occurring on April 22. Eta Aquariids meteor shower also appears in April. It is visible from about April 21 to about May 20 each year with peak activity on or around May 6.
April observances
This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor general observance.
Month-long observances
United States
- Arab American Heritage Month
- Autism Awareness Month (United States)
- Cancer Control Month
- Confederate History Month (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia)
- Donate Life Month
- Financial Literacy Month
- Jazz Appreciation Month
- Mathematics Awareness Month
- National Poetry Month
- National Poetry Writing Month
- National Prevent Child Abuse Month
- National Volunteer Month
- Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Non-Gregorian observances, 2016
- Sizdah Be-dar (Iranian calendar) - April 2 [5]
- Qingming Festival (Chinese calendar) - April 4
- Cold Food Festival (Chinese calendar) - April 5-7
- Mopin (Galo people) - April 5
- Cheti Chand (Sindhi people) - April 8
- Gudi Padwa (Hinduism) - April 8
- Hekate's Deipnon (Attic calendar, Hellenism) - April 8 [6]
- Feast of Glory - (Bahai calendar) - April 8[7]
- Sajibu Cheiraoba (Meitei people) - April 8
- Ugadi (Hinduism) - April 8
- Yom Kippur Katan (Hebrew calendar) - April 8
- Rosh Chodesh of Nisan/Fast of Pilegesh Bagiva (Hebrew calendar) - April 9 (fast is optional and is generally only observed by Chevra kadisha)
- Gangaur (Hinduism) - April 10 [8]
- Pongtu (Tutsa Naga) - April 11[9]
- Cambodian New Year - April 13
- Mesha Sankranti (Hinduism) - April 13[10]
- Vishu (Hinduism, Indian National Calendar) - April 13-14
- Bohag Bihu (Assamese people) - April 14[11]
- Delphinia (Attic calendar, Hellenism) - April 14 [6]
- Puthandu (Tamil calendar) - April 14
- Sangken (certain Buddhist communities in India) - April 14
- Rama Navami (Hinduism) - April 15
- Kamada Ekadashi (Hinduism) - April 17[12]
- Fast of Miriam (Hebrew calendar) - April 18 (fast is optional and is generally only observed by Chevra kadisha)
- 11 Nissan (Hebrew calendar, Chabad sect only) - April 19
- Education and Sharing Day (Hebrew calendar, United States) - April 19
- Mahavir Jayanti (Jainism) (April 19Karnataka and Rajasthan only, April 20 in other locations)
- Garia puja (Tripura, India) - April 20
- Birthday of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Islamic calendar - April 20
- Mahavir Jayanti (Jainism) - April 20 (April 19 in Karnataka and Rajasthan)
- Ridván (Bahai) April 20 - May 1[13]
- Bedikas Chametz (Hebrew calendar) - April 21
- Father's Day (Islamic calendar) - April 21
- Hanuman Jayanti (Hinduism) - April 21
- Fast of the Firstborn (Hebrew calendar) - April 22
- Passover (Hebrew calendar) – (Begins sundown) April 22-April 30 (Ends April 29 in Israel)
- Counting of the Omer (Hebrew calendar) - April 23-June 10. (Ends June 9 in Israel)
- Feast of Splendor - (Bahai calendar) - April 27[14]
- Mimouna (Hebrew calendar) - April 30 (April 29 in Israel)
Movable observances, 2016 dates
- Square Root Day - April 4
- National Health Day (Kiribati) - April 8[15]
- Crime Victims' Rights Week - April 10-16[16]
- National Volunteer Week - April 10-16 (Canada, United States)
- Youth Homelessness Matters Day - April 13[17] (Australia)
- Day of Dialogue (United States) - April 14[18]
- Day of Silence (United States) - April 15
- National Park Week (United States) - April 16-24[19]
- National Dance Week (United States - April 22 - May 1[20]
- Vaccination Week In The Americas - April 23-30
- European Immunization Week - April 24-30
- Denim Day (International observance) - April 27
First Saturday - April 2
First Sunday - April 3
- A Drop of Water Is a Grain of Gold (Turkmenistan)
- Geologists Day (former Soviet Union countries)
- Opening Day (United States)
First full week - April 3-9
- National Library Week (United States)
- National Library Workers Day (United States) (Tuesday of National Library week, April 5)
- National Bookmobile Day (Wednesday of National Library week, April 6)
- National Library Workers Day (United States) (Thursday of National Library week, April 7)
- National Public Health Week (United States)
Week of the New Moon - April 3-9
First Wednesday - April 6
Second Friday of April - April 8
Week of April 14 - April 10-16
Second Thursday - April 14
Third Saturday - April 16
Third Monday - April 18
Third Wednesday - April 20
First Thursday after April 18 - April 21
Third Thursday - April 21
Last Sunday - April 24
Last full week of April - April 24-30
Wednesday of last full week of April - April 27
Fourth Thursday - April 28
Last Friday - April 29
Last Friday in April to first Sunday in May - April 29-May 1
Last Saturday - April 30
- Children's Day (Columbia)
- National Rebuilding Day (United States)
- National Sense of Smell Day (United States)
Movable Western Christian Observances - 2016
- Divine Mercy Sunday - April 3 (Second Sunday after Easter)
- Jubilate Sunday - April 10 (Third Sunday after Easter)
- Hocktide - April 11-12 (England) (the Monday and Tuesday in the week following the second Tuesday after Easter)
- Earth Day Sunday - April 17 (some Protestant denominations) (Sunday before Earth Day)
- Good Shepherd Sunday - April 17 (Fourth Sunday after Easter)
- Store Bededag - April 22 (Fourth Friday after Easter in Denmark)
- Cantate Sunday - April 24
Movable Eastern Christian Observances - 2016
- Saturday of Souls - April 2
- Sunday of the Holy Cross - April 3
- Saturday of Souls - April 9
- Sunday of St. John Climacus - April 10
- Saturday of the Akathist - April 16
- Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt - April 17
- Nabi Musa - April 22
- Lazarus Saturday - April 23
- Palm Sunday - April 24
- Holy Monday - April 25
- Holy Tuesday - April 26
- Holy Wednesday - April 27
- Maundy Thursday - April 28,
- Good Friday - April 29
- Holy Saturday - April 30
Fixed observances
- April 1
- April 2
- April 3
- April 4
- April 5
- Arbor Day (Korea)
- April 6
- April 7
- April 8
- April 9
- Araw ng Kagitingan, also known as "Bataan Day" (Philippines) –
- Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)
- April 10
- Thai New Year in Thailand – April 13
- Lao New Year in Laos – April 13
- Burmese New Year in Burma - April 13
- Khmer New Year in Cambodia – April 13
- April 14
- Season of Emancipation (April 14 to August 23) (Barbados)
- Bengali New Year (Bangladesh)
- Vaisakh (Nepal)
- Vaisakhi (India)
- Tax Day (US) – April 15
- National Healthcare Decisions Day (US) - April 16[21]
- Zimbabwean Independence Day – April 18[22]
- 4:20 – April 20
- Patriots' Day – April 21
- Earth Day – April 22
- April 23
- Turkey's National Sovereignty and Children's Day-April 23
- Conch Republic Independence Celebration (Key West, Florida) – April 23
- St George's Day Patron Saint Celebration (England, Europe) – April 23
- Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – April 24
- Liberation Day in Italy - April 25 is a National Holiday that celebrates the end of the Nazi Germany occupation in the Northern Italy.
- ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand) – April 25
- Carnation Revolution (Portugal) – April 25
- Confederate Memorial Day (US: Georgia, Tennessee,Florida, Texas)- April 26
- Resistance day in Slovenia - formerly Liberation Front of the Slovene People day April 27
- Freedom Day (South Africa) – April 27
- April 28 to May 3: Floralia (Ancient Rome)
- April 29 to May 5 in Japan, which includes four different holidays, is called "Golden Week". Many workers have up to 10 days off. There is also 'May sickness', where new students or workers start to be tired of their new routine. (In Japan the school year and fiscal year start on April 1.)
- April 29 is a Japanese national holiday, as Shōwa Day since 2007. It has been celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday from 1927 to 1988, then renamed as Greenery Day after Hirohito's death in 1989. It is usually marked as the first day of "Golden Week", a week-long holiday period.
- Formerly Koninginnedag in the Netherlands / Kingdom of the Netherlands – April 30, for the last time celebrated in 2013, now celebrated as Koningsdag at April 27th.
- Independence day (Syria) – April 17
- Armed Forces Day (Georgia), April 30
- Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustaf, one of the official flag days of Sweden, April 30
- Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion) April 30
- Children's Day (Mexico), April 30
- Global Day of Prayer (Western Christianity) April 30
- Father's Day (Germany) April 30
- International Jazz Day (UNESCO) April 30
- National Persian Gulf Day (Iran), April 30
- Consumer Protection Day (Thailand), April 30
- Reunification Day (Vietnam), April 30
- Teachers' Day (Paraguay), April 30
- Walpurgis Night (Europe, United States), April 30
The "Days of April" (journées d'avril) is a name appropriated in French history to a series of insurrections at Lyons, Paris and elsewhere, against the government of Louis Philippe in 1834, which led to violent repressive measures, and to a famous trial known as the procès d'avril.[3]
April symbols
- April's birthstone is the diamond.
- The birth flower is typically listed as either the Daisy (Bellis perennis) or the Sweet Pea.[23][24]
- The zodiac signs for the month of April are Aries (until April 20) and Taurus (April 21 onwards).
Start and end days in relation to other months
April starts on the same day of the week as July in all years, and January in leap years. April ends on the same day of the week as December every year. October of the previous year starts on the same day of the week as April of the current year as a common year and May of the previous year starts on the same day of the week as April of the current year as a leap year. July of the previous year ends on the same day of the week as April of the current year as a common year and February and October of the previous year ends on the same day of the week as April of the current year as a leap year. In years immediately before common years, April starts on the same day of the week as September and December of the following year and in years immediately before leap years, June of the following year. In years immediately before common years, April ends on the same day of the week as September of the following year and in years immediately before leap years, March and June of the following year. In common years immediately after common years, April begins on the same day of the week as January of the previous year while in leap years and years immediately after that, April finishes on the same day of the week as January of the previous year
See also
References and sources
- References
- ^ "April" in Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 497.
- ^ Jacob Grim Geschichte der deutschen Sprache. Cap. "Monate"
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
- ^ "Koledar prireditev v letu 2007 in druge informacije občine Dobrova–Polhov Gradec" [The Calendar of Events and Other Information of the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec] (PDF) (in Slovenian). Municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec. 2006.
- ^ http://www.beleven.org/feest/sizdah_be-dar_13_bedar
- ^ a b "2015 Hellenion Calendar".
- ^ https://badipublishing.com/index.php/holy-days-2016/
- ^ http://www.festivalsofindia.in/gangaur/index.aspx
- ^ http://arunachalipr.gov.in/GH_Local.htm
- ^ http://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/month/festivals-april.html?year=2016
- ^ http://www.festivalsofindia.in/bihu/Rongali_Bihu.aspx
- ^ http://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/month/festivals-april.html?year=2016
- ^ https://badipublishing.com/index.php/holy-days-2016/
- ^ https://badipublishing.com/index.php/holy-days-2016/
- ^ https://anydayguide.com/calendar/1917
- ^ http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/
- ^ http://www.youthhomelessnessmatters.net/yhmd/welcome-nych
- ^ http://www.dayofdialogue.com/
- ^ https://www.nps.gov/findapark/national-park-week.htm
- ^ http://www.nationaldanceweek.org/
- ^ "National Healthcare Decisions Day". Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "The Free Dictionary". Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ Kipfer, Barbara Ann (1997) The Order of Things. New York: Random House
- ^ "U101 College Search".
- Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "April". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links
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