Hello, August

About the Month of August

 

The Month of August

August was named to honor the first Roman emperor (and grandnephew of Julius Caesar), Augustus Caesar (63 B.C..–A.D. 14). 

 

August Calendar

“After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day.”

Friendship Day

Raksha Bandhan

Women's Equality Day

National Catfish Month
Harvest Month

National Water Quality Month

Peach Month

National Immunization Awareness Month

Get Ready for Kindergarten Month

Symbols of August

Birthstone: Agate or onyx

Flower: Gladiolus or poppy

Zodiac signs: Leo and Virgo

History: In the original Roman calendar the month of August was called Sextilis. This was because it was the sixth month of the year. Later, after January and February were added to the calendar, it became the eighth month of the year. At the time the month had 29 days. When Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar in 45 BC, two days were added giving the month 31 days. The month was later renamed Augustus in honor of the first emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus.

Fun Facts about August

It is the last of the summer months. The Islamic holiday of Ramadan runs from July 19 to August 18 in 2012. August in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to February in the Southern Hemisphere. Augustus renamed the month of Sextilis because many of his greatest triumphs occurred during this month. August is a month of summer vacation and holiday for many children around the world. Many cultures call this month the harvest month or the time of harvest.

“Just for Fun” Days

Have fun with these strange celebrations!

• Aug. 1–7: International Clown Week
• Aug. 3: National Watermelon Day
• Aug. 8: “National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors’ Porch Day” (Or, use up that bounty with our best zucchini recipes.)
• Aug. 10: National S’mores Day
• Aug 12: Vinyl Record Day
• Aug. 13: International Left-Handers Day
• Aug. 17: International Geocaching Day
• Aug. 17: World Honeybee Day
• Aug. 25: Kiss-and-Make-Up Day

• August 1, traditionally known as Lammas Day, was a festival to mark the annual wheat and corn harvest. Lammas also marked the mid-point between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, and was a cross-quarter day. See more about Lammas Day.
• August 5 is a Civic Holiday in parts of Canada.
• August 9 starts the Islamic New Year, or the First of Muharram, beginning at sundown. Traditionally, it begins at the first sighting of the lunar crescent after the new Moon.
• August 10 is St. Lawrence’s Day. “Fair weather on St. Lawrence’s Day presages a fair autumn.” 
• August 11 marks the end of the Dog Days of Summer, which began on July 3.
• August 17 is when the Cat Nights begin, harking back to a rather obscure Irish legend concerning witches; this bit of folklore also led to the idea that a cat has nine lives.
• August 19 brings National Aviation Day, chosen for the birthday of Orville Wright who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
• August 24 is St. Bartholomew Day. “At St. Bartholomew, there comes cold dew.”
• August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and, with it, women’s right to vote in the United States.