April, Brevarium Grimani, fol. 5v (Flemish)In recent decades, the number of warm temperature records in April has outpaced cold temperature records over a growing portion of Earth's surface.[1]
The Romans gave this month theLatin nameAprilis[2] but the derivation of this name is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the verbaperire, "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 ofάνοιξη (ánixi) (opening) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddessVenus, herVeneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her monthAphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess nameAphrodite (Aphros), or theEtruscan nameApru.Jacob Grimm suggests the name of a hypothetical god or hero,Aper orAprus.[3]
April was the second month of the earliestRoman calendar,[4] beforeIanuarius andFebruarius were added by KingNuma 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 thedecemvirs about 450 BC, when it was 29 days long. The 30th day was added back during the reform of the calendar undertaken byJulius Caesar in the mid-40s BC, which produced the Julian calendar.
St George's day is the twenty-third of the month; andSt 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.[4]
InChina 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.[4] In Finnish, April ishuhtikuu, meaningslash-and-burn moon, whengymnosperms for beat and burn clearing of farmland were felled.
InSlovene, the most established traditional name ismali traven, the month when plants start growing. It was first written in 1466 in theŠkofja Loka manuscript.[5]
The month April originally had 30 days;Numa Pompilius made it 29 days long; finally,Julius Caesar's calendar reform made it 30 days long again, which was not changed in the calendar revision ofAugustus Caesar in 8 BC.
TheLyridsmeteor shower appears on April 16 – April 26 each year, with the peak generally occurring on April 22. TheEta Aquariids meteor shower also appears in April. It is visible from April 21 to May 20 each year, with peak activity on or around May 6. ThePi Puppids appear on April 23, but only in years around the parent comet'sperihelion date. TheVirginids also shower at various dates in April.
The "Days of April" (journées d'avril) is a name assigned in French history to aseries of insurrections at Lyons, Paris and elsewhere, against the government ofLouis Philippe in 1834, which led to violent repressive measures, and to a famous trial known as theprocès d'avril.[4]
(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)
^"Mean Monthly Temperature Records Across the Globe". National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Link is an example for one month; for other months, change the "202501" in the preceding URL toyyyymm, whereyyyy is the four-digit year andmm is the two-digit month (01=January through 12=December)
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