JANUARY 



3114 



JANUARY 



ANUARY, jan'uari, the first month 

 of the year according to the modern calendar. 

 It is a time of beginnings, and the Romans 

 signified this fact by naming it after Janus, 

 the god of beginnings, whose festival fell within 

 the month. He was a double-headed deity, 

 with one face looking forward and one looking 

 backward, and this is symbolical of the month, 

 which inspires thought of the past as well as of 

 the future. The special flower for the wintry 

 month of January is the snowdrop; the garnet 

 is its gem. 



Its History. Like February, January was 

 not one of the original months, the year ac- 

 cording to the earliest Roman calendar having 

 begun with March. Numa Pompilius, tradition 

 says, added January, but gave it only thirty 

 days; but the reforms of Julius Caesar gave 

 it the thirty-one days which it has kept ever 

 since (see CALENDAR). Its character has won 

 for it various names in different countries. The 

 Scandinavians, for instance, called it after 

 Thor, the god of storms; and the old Anglo- 

 Saxons spoke of it as Wolfmonth, because 

 during its bitter cold days the wolves, who 

 could find nothing alive in the forests on which 

 they could live, came into the villages in 

 search of food. 



Its Place in the Year. In most parts of the 

 northern hemisphere January is the severest 

 of . the winter months. In such sections as 

 California and the Southern states, where win- 

 ter, as Canada and the Northern United States 

 understand that term, is unknown, January is 

 likely to be a very rainy season, but elsewhere 

 there is generally much sun and a prevailingly 

 low temperature. Toward the end of the 

 month, however, there occur frequently days 

 which are warm enough for March, and the 

 "January thaw" which accompanies these is a 

 well-known phenomenon. 



No month of the year has fewer signs of 

 nature's activities. There is less movement 

 among the birds than during any other month 

 the all-winter residents have arrived and 

 settled down; those which go south for the 



winter have left long before, and the hardiest 

 of the spring migrants have not started north. 

 The cold does not seem to affect the birds 

 seriously, neither do the storms ; but they must 

 have food, and plenty of it; and food is scarce 

 in Northern latitudes in January. Where ber- 

 ries or grain are to be found, there birds, even 

 of those species which usually winter far south, 

 occasionally stay through the entire season. 



January has one holiday universally ob- 

 served in Christian countries New Year's Day 

 (which see), which has in every land its own 

 characteristic customs. The other special day 

 of most importance is Twelfth Day, so called 

 because it is the twelfth day after Christmas, 

 on which is celebrated the festival of the 

 Ephiphany. 



On pages 3112 and 3113 will be found calen- 

 dars of birthdays and events, and a list of quo- 

 tations for January. (See, also, other months.) 



JANUS, in Roman mythology, the god for 

 whom the first month of the year, January, 

 was named. As the "spirit of opening," he was 

 invoked at the beginning of all undertakings, 

 and therefore was naturally the god of the 

 beginning of the 

 day and also of 

 the beginning of 

 the year. As the 

 guardian of all 

 the gates in 

 Rome, he was 

 usually repre- 

 sented as having 

 a double head 

 that looked both 

 ways. In time of 



war the gates of Janus am I ; oldest of pot 



, . , tates ! 



the chief temple Forward I look and backw* 



of Janus at Rome z co ^t^ ow ; od of avenl 



were always left and gates 



. The years that through 



open, and in peace portals come and go. 



were closed. As -LONGFELLOW. 



the god of gates he is represented as c 

 keys, and is crowned with laurel. Many 

 monies were performed in his honor. 



