Things to Know About the Month of June

What was the old name of June?

Sextilis was the original Latin name given to the sixth month in the old Roman calendar. Roman writers claimed that their calendar was invented by Romulus, one of the twin founders (the other being Remus) of Rome. Such calendar contained only ten months.

What is universally known today as the sixth month is June, both in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The name was believed to have two derivations. In his poem entitled Fasti, the Roman poet Ovid told that it was named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter. The poem also told that June also derived its name from the Latin word iuniores which literally translates to “younger ones”.

What events are being celebrated in the month of June?

The popular phrase “June bride” comes from the fact that June is known as the month when a large number of marriages are being held worldwide. One account suggests that Juno, from which the month received its name, is the goddess of marriage. According to mythology, Juno brings prosperity and happiness to all who wed in her month.

To complement the Mother’s Day which is universally celebrated in May, honoring of fathers and celebration of fatherhood is done usually on the third Sunday of June. Through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, an independently-invented Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910. After a church sermon about the Mother’s Day, Dodd felt the need to also recognize fathers, including her own. The idea was proposed into offices. After many years of consideration, former U.S president Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation marking the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.

In Luxembourg, a landlocked country in western Europe with over half a million population, Mother’s Day is observed every second Sunday of June.

In 1925, the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland declared June 1 as International Children’s Day. Countries celebrating the holiday on this date today include Albania, Angola, Armenia, Bulgaria, People’s Republic of China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Russia, Poland, Yemen, East Germany, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia and many others. The commemoration is usually highlighted with speeches on children’s rights and well-being, TV programs for children and other activities dedicated to them.

Spurred by the songwriter and record producer Kenny Gamble, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter declared June as Black Music Month. This month-long observance is highlighted by events calling citizen to revel in the many forms of music from gospel to hip-hop. George Bush has proclaimed on May 31, 2002 that June should be Black Music Month. Since then, the country’s presidents have been declaring Black Music Month’s observance in June of every year.

What is June’s birthstone?

Pearl is chosen to be the month’s birthstone. It means health and longevity. The Greeks believed that pearls were the dried and hardened tears of joy of the goddess of love as she was born from the sea. Alternate birthstones for the month are Moonstone and Alexandrite.