The modern names of the spring months in our calendar are originating from the Latin language and tell us nothing about the phenomena of living or inanimate nature, as well as the work of people. This is March, April, May.
But in the old days the names of this month sounded differently, and most often people gave them the names. associated with some phenomena, changes in nature.
Thus, the names related to changes in inanimate nature are the following: winterboat (March), protelor (March), snowfront (April).
The names of the months associated with phenomena in living nature: herbs (May), flowering (May), birch (April).
The names of the months related to the difficulty of people: gardener (March), early fellow (May).
When considering the values of the names of the months of the year in Slavic languages
we can conclude that people are difficult to associate
Only two or three months a year. These are such months as:
Sovera, sickered (from the word “Sich”) – winter months, timbering time:
January (in good and used in the words, sectors, in Ukrainian),
February (Bolgarian and Macedonian Sechko).
Serpen (from the word “sickle”) or reaper (from the word “reap”) – summer months, harvest time:
June (Macedonian Zhitar),
July (in Bolgarian krpen),
August (Macedonian tovelr, in Belorussian reaper, in Ukrainian and Polish sickle).
Autumn months – grape collection time:
September (Macedonian Grozdber – “Collect a clusters”),
October (vanish vine).
The ancient names of the months that were in use before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in Rus’ were often associated with the natural changes that took place in these months.
For example, changes in inanimate nature are emphasized by the names of the month of March – a protelon or wintering.
Changes in wildlife in the spring emphasized the names of the month April – Berezen or May – Herring.
The work of people emphasized the name of the month of March – gardener.
We are primarily interested in Russian folk names for spring months, so we will use them.
Each of the months is characterized by its distinguishing features, and if winter is just starting to depart in March, there is a thaw and snow cover (inanimate nature phenomena) appears, then in April trees and flowers are already waking up, animals (living nature) wake up from winter hibernation).
Before the onset of May, work in the field and in the garden is almost not d1. Therefore, with human labor, the names of only the last month of spring are associated.
Now by the names that emphasize this:
A. March:
Dry – snow and ice leaves, the earth dries
Wintering – a month struggling with a winter cold
Protrick – the appearance of a protaby from the sun who began to warm up
pond – snow turns into streams and puddles and flows into small streams to rivers
Darling – snowy paths are no longer suitable for use (but in modern times we can say that asphalt goes with snow, the current name)
Posimnik – if literally, then the next after the winter. Often, March does not differ in great warmth and sometimes the winter is delayed for almost this month
whistle – weather in March is often extremely windy
Vesnovka is the first of the three spring months
These all names belong to March and are associated with inanimate nature.
b) about wildlife:
Primary or Flowerful (in Ukrainian – KVITEN) – characterized by the appearance of the first colors. There are still no leaves on the trees, but flowers have already appeared
Herring or May (this name is used in Ukrainian) – indicates violent greens, which is not always much in the coming months
Grachevnik, he is May – the time of arrival of rooks
V. The work of people
The names of May – gardener or young man. The first preparatory work in the field and sows begin in May. Often on May holidays, families go to plant potatoes
In my answer I want to give the names of all spring months, but in the languages of various peoples:
March (in Latin – ‘Martius”, named after the god Mars).
In the Old Slavonic March in the northern regions, a month was nicknamed – “dry”, that is, the time when the earth dries with converging snow.
In the southern regions of March, they called “birchozol”, that is, the time when the kidneys are blooming on birches.
Since spring comes to Ukraine a little early, the month of March was also called “birch”.
And also ‘Mart’ is a winterboard, spring, a protelor, a podper, an expensive carrier, a sich, a piercing, a whistle, a posimnik, an gardener, a break in spring, spring, heir to February, a rooks and a dropper.
In Ukrainian: Berezen, in Belorussian: Sakavik, Czech: Drill.
April (in Latin ‘Aperire’ – open). In Old Russian times, April was called by everyone: a tarp, snowfront (when streams take off the last snow), flowering (the bloom of the first trees and flowers).
In Ukraine, they named April in honor of the bloom of plants – “kviten”.
And also April is a primrose, sunshine, flowering, greenhouse, lighting snow, Aquarius, play ravines.
In Ukrainian: Kviten, in Belarusian: Beauty, in Czech – Duben (oak flowering).
May (in Latin ‘Maius’, on behalf of Maya – the ancient Roman goddess of spring).
In the ancient Slavic language, the time was called when the riot of greenery and grass began, so May was “grass” or “grass”.
They also called May – lighting, tank, nightingale month, flight, macquita, young man.
In Ukrainian: Herring, in Belarusian: Herbal, Czech: Kveten (Flower).
To understand the essence of the processes of each month, we need to find out their names in ancient times. After all, their current names will not tell us about anything.
Therefore, we consider several options for each of the months and their processes with decoding.
March was called dry (because the snow melts, the earth dries), winter (fought with colds), a prototal (the appearance of protabin, which is logical), and April Snowman. All this applies to inanimate nature.
For the phenomena of living nature, the month of May will help us, which had names such as Herbal or pollen. That is, living nature in the form of different plants began to bloom and live a new life.
But May can also be attributed to human work. Now, and in those days, in May people begin to plow the ground, work in the gardens and just in their country plots, from which May had a name Ranopashec.
My native land is Belarus.
Here’s about him and we will talk.
The first spring month is March – in Belorussian “Sakavik”, then “juicy”. The name of the month suggests that in this period nature comes to life, the kidneys of the trees are filled with juice. The name of this month can be attributed to living nature.
The second spring month is Aperl – “Handsome” In Belarusian. The name of the month speaks for itself – nature is filled with colors, flowering.
And finally, the last spring month of May is “Herbal” In Belarusian. Also a talking name. Spring growth of herbs begins.
As you can see, all three months in the Belarusian language personify nature, its regret and flowering.
As for the months that reflect the work of people, it is “Relacement” (August). But this is the last summer meat – the time of labor and the hot time of the harvest. In the rein – they are struggled, grain crops are removed.
As an example, I will give the Ukrainian language, the spring months are associated with living nature: March (birch) – birch, April (Kviten) – flowering, flourishing of nature, May (herb) – grass time. By the way, these names went from Old Slavonic, in which the months are called in a similar way and also have a meaning.