Originally published Dec. 2023
WHAT THE JANUARY CALENDAR MONTH IS KNOWN FOR
The January calendar month is considered to be the coldest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. So what do you think the January calendar has in store for the Southern Hemisphere? Did you guess? It is the warmest time of year in the Southern Hemisphere.
New Year’s is the most celebrated event all around the whole world. People everywhere get excited for the new year to start. Family and friends gather together. A few seconds before midnight they will do a countdown. Right at midnight in cities all over the world, they will shoot fireworks into the night sky and make a toast to the new year. In some areas, it is also customary for couples to kiss at midnight Just to think millions of people all at the same time shouting as loud as they can. “Happy New Year!”
HOW THE JANUARY CALENDAR MONTH GOT IT’S NAME
The January calendar got its name during ancient Roman times. They named it after a god named Janus who had two faces. One face looked into the past while the other was believed to look into the future. The Roman people believed this god was a protector of gates and doorways. Therefore they made it a habit to keep the doors of the Janus temple closed during peacetime and open when there was war going on.
GEM FOR THE MONTH
When it comes to monthly Gemstones, which can also be referred to as Birthstones, there are two common lists, Modern and Traditional. For a majority of Birthstones they are the same, however some months do have a different stone and a few actually have more than two different birthstones associated with them.
The reason why I refer to the list with the word common is because of the vastness of our world and its history. For example, ancient Romans and Greeks had various birthstone lists due to region, astrology, or religious beliefs. There is more than one type of list. For example, one list is based on a breastplate mentioned in the bible in the book of Exodus. Another list would be an astrological or zodiac list associated more with a range of dates and star alignment.
The list of birthstones that many are more familiar with today is what some may call a jewellers list. The traditional, also known as ancient, birthstones list came about in Poland around the 17th century. The modern list that many jewellers use was established in the United Kingdom in 1912. The key difference between the traditional and modern is that the modern ones are more transparent and similarly shaped in comparison to each other. Making it easier to set more than one in a ring as well as other types of jewerly.
Here is a list of both traditional and modern gems associated with each month of the year used by many jewellers today
So if you are more familiar with a different birthstone list in your culture, society, or heritage. Please let us know in the comments
PUZZLE CHALLENGE
Ahh you’re done already, well thanks for stopping by at RazzWorks and checking out the January calendar, hope to see you again. Before you go here is a little word-seek puzzle for you. Can you find all the words from the January article?
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