January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. December 2007 is the twelfth month of that year It began on a Saturday and 31 days later ended on a Monday PortalCurrent events International holidays January 1 - New Year's Day January 1 - Independence PortalCurrent events International holidays February 2 - Candlemas February 5 - Shrove New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Mathematics For any number x: x ·1 = 1· x = x (1 is the multiplicative identity The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the Orbit of the Earth around the Sun The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today A day (symbol d is a unit of Time equivalent to 24 Hours and the duration of a single Rotation of planet Earth with respect to the It is, on average, the coolest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere, characterizing the onset of the Winter and Summer in both hemispheres respectively.

January begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Capricorn and ends in the sign of Aquarius. Capricorn is the tenth Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Capricornus. Aquarius is the eleventh Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation Aquarius. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Sagittarius and ends in the constellation of Capricornus. Capricornus ( Latin for "horned (male Goat " or "goat horn " is one of the Constellations of the Zodiac.

January is named for Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door (ianua) - January is the door to the year. In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus was the god of Gates Doors doorways beginnings and endings The word " Ianuarius " is the original Roman designation of the month January Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Traditionally, the original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, totalling 304 days, winter being considered a monthless period. The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. Around 713 BC, the semi-mythical successor of Romulus, King Numa Pompilius, is supposed to have added the months of January and February, allowing the calendar to equal a standard lunar year (355 days). Events and trends Judah, Tyre and Sidon revolt against Assyria. Romulus (c 771 BC– c 717 BC and Remus (c 771 BC–c 753 BC are the traditional founders of Rome, appearing in Roman mythology Numa Pompilius, according to Legend, was the second King of Rome, succeeding Romulus. Overview February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. New Year's Day is the first day of the Year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though Although March was originally the first month in the old Roman Calendar, January assumed that position beginning in 153 BC when the two consuls, for whom the years were named, began to be chosen on January 1. Events in March American Red Cross Month Fire Prevention month ( The Philippines) Women's History Month ( United Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC The reason for this shift of the new year into the dead of winter was to allow the new consuls to complete the elections and ceremonies upon becoming consuls, and still reach their respective consular armies by the start of the campaigning.

January, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Various Christian feast dates were used for the New Year in Europe in the Middle Ages, including March 25 and December 25. The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry or simply the Très Riches Heures ( The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) is a very richly decorated The New Year is an event that happens when a Culture celebrates the end of one Year and the beginning of the next year Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian However, medieval calendars were displayed in the Roman fashion of twelve columns from January to December. Events in December Union Day of Romania (1 December World AIDS Day ( December 1) National Day of Beginning in the 16th century, European countries began officially making January 1 the start of the New Year once again — sometimes called Circumcision Style because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, being the 8th day from December 25. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord is a Christian celebration of the Circumcision of Jesus, eight days (according to the Semitic and southern European Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian

Historical names for January include its original Roman designation, Ianuarius, the Saxon term Wulf-monath (meaning wolf month) and Charlemagne's designation Wintarmanoth (winter / cold month). The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his In Finnish, the month is called tammikuu, meaning month of the oak, but the original meaning was the month of the heart of winter, as tammi has initially meant axis or core. Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside This month is in Czech called leden, meaning ice month. Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the

The first Monday in January is known as Handsel Monday in Scotland and northern England. Monday (pron ˈmʌndeɪ ˈmʌndi is a Day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. Handsel Monday is the first Monday of the year particularly as used to be celebrated in Scotland and northern England. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In England, the agricultural year began with Plough Sunday on the Sunday after Epiphany. Plough Sunday is a traditional English celebration of the beginning of the Agricultural year that has seen some revival over recent years Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In the Jewish law it is the first day of the Hebrew calendar week Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of

The Coming of Age day in Japan is the second Monday of January, for those becoming 20 years old in the new calendar year. Coming of age is a young person's transition from Adolescence to Adulthood The age at which this transition takes place varies in society as does the nature For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. It is a national holiday. The day has been celebrated since 1948, but fell on January 15 until 1999, when it was moved by the Japanese government in an attempt to lift the economy by making more holidays consecutive. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Japan no longer officially has the traditional Federal system, and its 47 prefectures, and prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for

In the pagan wheel of the year, January ends at or near to Imbolc in the northern hemisphere and Lughnasadh in the southern hemisphere. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical Wheel of the Year is a Wiccan and Neopagan term for the annual cycle of the Earth 's Seasons It consists of eight festivals spaced at approximately Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning Lughnasadh ( Old Irish, pronounced luɣnəsəð Modern Irish Lá Lúnasa; Modern Gaelic Lùnastal) is a Gaelic

It is the middle month of summer in the Southern Hemisphere and the middle of winter in the Northern.

January starts on the same day of the week as October in common years, and April and July in leap years. October events and holidays Children's Book Week ( England) - First Week of October National Day ( China People's Republic April holidays and events National Poetry Month - in United States National Sexual Assault Awareness Month - in United Events in July The traditional period known as "fence month" (the closed season for deer in England ended July 9 (date varied

Events in January

Holidays

• New Year's Day - January 1
• Coptic Christmas - January 7
• Coming-of-Age Day (成人の日 Seijin no hi) in Japan - Second Monday
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States - Third Monday
• Australia Day in Australia - January 26
• Republic Day in India - January 26
• Auckland Anniversary in Auckland, New Zealand - Monday closest to January 29

January symbols

The camellia, Japan's floral emblem of January

• January's birthstone is the garnet
• Its birth flower is the carnation or snowdrop
• The Chinese floral emblem of January is the plum blossom
• The Japanese floral emblem of January is the camellia