SEPTEMBER: FROM THE 7TH TO THE 9TH MONTH

The word “September” comes from the old Italian/Latin word “Septem,” which means seven. September was also the 7th month in the first/oldest Roman calendar (750 BC), which had only 10 months that began with March and ended with December. Remember also that “December” comes from “Decem,” meaning ten. It was in ca. 713 BC that the months of January and February were added. Consequently, September became the ninth month but retained its original name. The period that was later named January and February was initially not added in the ancient Roman calendar because it was the coldest part of the year when no farm work was done. As an agrarian society, the period was seen to be ůseless.

If the 9th month still bears the name 7th (month), it tells you that life is hardly perfect. Life is not always about the label but the content. In Africa today, many have changed their family and/ or village names because, according to them, they do not represent who they are.

But they forget that the names carry the history of their origins, successes, failures, anxieties, tears, and joys.

If the name of the month September had been changed, who would have ever remembered that the ancient Roman calendar contained 10 months? The more you understand history, the more you realize that our people are far away from understanding life and how it works.

The picture attached to this post is the ancient Roman/ first calendar that had 10 months from which September got it’s name.

Wishing you a successful month of September.