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November is the eleventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. (The Gregorian calendar is the one we are using today.)
“November is the last of four months to have a length of 30 days. It is also the fifth and last of five months to have a length less than 31 days.”
Originally, November was the ninth month of the 10 months that made up the Roman (Romulus c. 750 BC) calendar.
November slipped into the 11th month in 713 BC when the months of January and February were added to the calendar by the Roman king called Numa Pompilius, bringing the months of the year to 12.
Before the addition of the two months, the days after December until March 1 were simply ignored by the ancient Romans.
November became the 11th month but still retained its name, “November,” which was derived from Latin “novem,” meaning nine.
Whether as the 9th or 11th month, November has always retained its position as the month that comes before the last one.
As an African, stories like this simply remind us of the urgent need to preserve our culture and tradition and to revive the ones we have allowed to dīè.
Imagine where your community would have been today if the achievements of your ancestors were preserved! Can you trace the history of the market days in your community or how time was measured by your ancestors?
What do you know about the history that brought about the various celebrations, traditions, customs, and laws in your village? Or do you think that those who instituted them had no reasons for creating them?
Imagine where Europe would have been today if they had cut themselves off from the achievements of their forefathers. They would have been confused, poor, and weak.
Happy month of November!
