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Depiction of harvesting in the August calendar page of the Queen Mary Psalter (fol. 78v), ca. 1310

August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.[1]

In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August falls in the season of summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the month falls during the season of winter. In many European countries, August is the holiday month for most workers. Numerous religious holidays occurred during August in ancient Rome.[2]

Certain meteor showers take place in August. The Kappa Cygnids take place in August, with the dates varying each year. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower takes place as early as July 10 and ends at around August 10, and the Southern Delta Aquariids take place from mid-July to mid-August, with the peak usually around July 28–29. The Perseids, a major meteor shower, typically takes place between July 17 and August 24, with the days of the peak varying yearly. The star cluster of Messier 30 is best observed around August.

Among the aborigines of the Canary Islands, especially among the Guanches of Tenerife, the month of August received in the name of Beñesmer or Beñesmen, which was also the harvest festival held this month.[3][4]

The month was originally named Sextilis in Latin because it was the 6th month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, with March being the first month of the year. About 700 BC, it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 46 BC (AUC 708), giving it its modern length of 31 days.

In 8 BC, the month was renamed in honor of Emperor Augustus.[5] According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt.[6] Commonly repeated lore has it that August has 31 days because Augustus wanted his month to match the length of Julius Caesar's July, but this is an invention of the 13th century scholar Johannes de Sacrobosco. Sextilis in fact had 31 days before it was renamed, and it was not chosen for its length.[7][8]

Within the United States, August is the only month of the year without a federal holiday.

Symbols

Gladiolus
Peridot gemstones
Peridot gemstones
Sardonyx stone
Sardonyx stone
Red spinel on calcite
Red spinel on calcite

August's birthstones are the peridot, sardonyx, and spinel.[9] Its birth flower is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family.[10] The Western zodiac signs are Leo (until August 22) and Virgo (from August 23 onward).[11][12]

Observances

This list does not necessarily imply either official status or general observance.

Non-Gregorian: 2024 dates

(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.)

Month-long

United States month-long

Food months in the United States

Moveable Gregorian

Second to last Sunday in July and the following two weeks

1st Saturday

1st Sunday

First full week of August

  • National Farmer's Market Week (United States)

1st Monday

1st Tuesday

1st Friday

2nd Saturday

Sunday on or closest to August 9

2nd Sunday

2nd Monday

2nd Tuesday

3rd Saturday

3rd Sunday

3rd Monday

3rd Friday

Last Thursday

Last Sunday

Last Monday

Fixed Gregorian

References

  1. ↑ "August | month | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ Supplicia canum was held on August 3, Lychnapsia on August 12, Nemoralia was held from August 13–15 (or on the full moon of August), Tiberinalia and Portumnalia on August 17, Consuales Ludi on August 18, Vinalia rustica on August 19, Vulcanalia on August 23, Opiconsivia on August 25, and Volturnalia on August 27. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.
  3. ↑ Abréu Galindo, Juan de (1848) [1632]. Historia de la conquista de las siete islas de Gran Canaria. Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Imprenta, Litografía y Librería Isleña. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Torriani, Leonardo (1959) [1590]. Descripción e historia del reino de las Islas Canarias: antes Afortunadas, con el parecer de sus fortificaciones. Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Goya Ediciones. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Keeping Time: Months and the Modern Calendar". Live Science. May 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Year of Julius Caesar, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin, Ed".
  7. ↑ Lamont, Roscoe (1919). "The Roman calendar and its reformation by Julius Caesar". Popular Astronomy. Vol. 27. pp. 583–595, esp. 585–587. Bibcode:1919PA.....27..579P. Sacrobosco's theory is discussed on pages 585–587.
  8. ↑ Nothaft, C. Philipp E. (2018). Scandalous Error: Calendar Reform and Calendrical Astronomy in Medieval Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 122. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198799559.001.0001. ISBN 9780198799559.
  9. ↑ "Why the American Gem Society". American Gem Society.
  10. ↑ Birth months, flowers, and gemstones, shgresources.com
  11. ↑ The Earth passes the junction of the signs at 15:44 UT/GMT August 22, 2020, and will pass it again at 21:34 UT/GMT August 22, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Astrology Calendar". yourzodiacsign. Signs in UT/GMT for 1950–2030.
  13. ↑ "American Adventures Month". Canton Public Library.
  14. ↑ "Children's Eye Health and Safety Month".
  15. ↑ "Online Events".
  16. ↑ "August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month!". Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board.
  17. ↑ "Celebrating Filipino Language and Culture". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  18. ↑ "AANS".
  19. ↑ "Psoriasis Awareness Month – Take Action, One Day at a Time – National Psoriasis Foundation".
  20. ↑ "Cure SMA – Home".
  21. ↑ "12th annual National Black Business Month". National Black Business Month.
  22. ↑ "August is Vision & Learning Month – College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)".
  23. ↑ "National Immunization Awareness Month – NIAM – CDC".
  24. ↑ "August Is Officially Princess Peach Month, According To Nintendo Of America". August 8, 2014.
  25. ↑ "August is National Water Quality Month". GoodSpeaks.
  26. ↑ "MHprofessional.com".
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Food Days, Weeks, Months – August". UNL Food. University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
  28. ↑ Bober, Mike. Celebrate National Goat Cheese Month with Local Favorites, dcfoodies.com
  29. ↑ "Why Is National Panini Month In August?". Food Republic. August 20, 2012.
  30. ↑ "National Science Week 2020".

Further reading

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