April
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April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days.
April begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Aries and ends in the sign of Taurus. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Pisces and ends in the constellation of Aries.
The name is derived from the Latin aprilis, either from the Latin word aperire which means "to open", probably referring to the "opening of the light in the days, and of the life of the leaves, and of the voices of the birds, and of the hearts of men", or from the Etruscan name Apru for Aphrodite.
April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar and had 29 days. Julius Caesar's calendar reform in 45 BCE resulted in April having 30 days and becoming the fourth month, as the year now began in January.
In old Japanese calendar, the month is called Uzuki (卯月). In Finnish, the month is called huhtikuu, meaning something to do with agriculture.
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April in poetry
Poets identify April with the end of winter, but they don't necessarily agree on what that means:
- Adage:
- April showers bring May flowers
- In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer found only cause for celebration:
- Whan that April with his showres soote (that is, sweet)
- The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,
- And bathed every veine in swich licour,
- Of which vertu engendred is the flowr; (ll. 1-4)
- Modernized for The Norton Anthology of English Literature
- T. S. Eliot, on the other hand, opened The Waste Land with an ironic glance at Chaucer:
- April is the cruellest month, breeding
- Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
- Memory and desire, stirring
- Dull roots with spring rain.
- To what purpose, April, do you return again?
- Beauty is not enough.
- You can no longer quiet me with the redness
- Of little leaves opening stickily.
- I know what I know.
- The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
- The spikes of the crocus.
- The smell of the earth is good.
- It is apparent that there is no death.
- But what does that signify?
- Not only under ground are the brains of men
- Eaten by maggots.
- Life in itself
- Is nothing,
- An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
- It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
- April
- Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
The Tragic Month of April
April also is noticeable for its close connection with warfare. An unusually large number of wars have started or ended in Aprils, and many military leaders (ex. Hitler) have been born in April. Just a few wars that started/ended in April are,
American Revolution Started (Paul Reveres Ride: April 18-19 1775) American Civil War (Started April 1861 Ended April 1865, thus "Across 5 Aprils") World War II (Germany Surrenders in April, 1945)
Other Tragedies that have occurred in the month of April include
- President Abraham Lincoln's Assassination (April 14,1865)
- 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (April 18, 1906)
- The sinking of the RMS Titanic (April 14-15,1912)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated (April 4,1968)
- Super Tornado Outbreak (April 3-4,1974)
- Chernobyl nuclear accident (April 26,1986)
- The bloody end to the Branch Dividan siege in Waco, Texas (April 19,1993)
- The Oklahoma City Bombing (April 19, 1995)
- Columbine High School shooting (April 20,1999)
- Death of Pope John Paul II (April 2, 2005)
Trivia
- April begins on the same day of week as July in all years and also January in leap years.
- April's flower is the daisy and sweet pea.
- April's birthstone is the diamond.
April Events
Monthlong events in April
- Chocolate Eaters Month
- Grass Month
- Pets Are Wonderful Month
- Uh-huh Month
- Cancer Control Month
- Child Abuse Prevention Month
- Freedom Shrine Month
- International Guitar Month
- Keep America Beautiful Month
- Listening Awareness Month
- Mathematics Education Month
- Multicultural Communication Month
- National Anxiety Month
- National Garden Month
- National Home Improvement Month
- National Humor Month
- National Occupational Therapy Month
- National Welding Month
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
- Boscov's Did-You-Boscov-Today Month
- Philatelic Societies Month
- VD Awareness Month
- National Food Month
- Stress Awareness Month
- Alcohol Awareness Month
- Holy Humor Month
- International Amateur Radio Month
- International Twit Award Month
- Month of the Young Child
- National Florida Tomato Month
- Multicultural Communication Month
- National Knuckles Down Month
- National Sexually Transmitted Diseases Education and Awareness Month
- National Woodworking Month
- Sea Cadet Month
- Thai Heritage Month
- Sports Eye Safety Month
- Community Services Month (California)
- Listening Awareness Month
- Autism Awareness Month
- Rick Boehm Awareness Month
Weeklong events in April
1st Week in April
- Medic Alert Week
- Cherry Blossom Festival
- Publicity Stunt Week
- National Birthparents Week
- Week of the Young Child
- Cruelest Month Week (Fairy)
- Straw Hat Week
- National Bake Week (begins 1st Mon)
- Consider Christianity Week
- National Reading a Road Map Week
- Hate Week
2nd Week in April
- Be Kind to Animals Week
- Masters Golf Tournament
- National Medical Laboratory Week
- Private Property Week (10th-16th)
- National Library Week
- Harmony Week
- National Garden Week
- TV Turn-Off Week
- National Guitar Week
- National Building Safety Week
- National Home Safety Week
3rd Week in April
- Library Forgiveness Week
- National Police Week
- Lefty Awareness Week
- Boys and Girls Club Week
- Astronomy Week
- National Coin Week
- Bike Safety Week
- National Bubblegum Week
- Pan American Week
- National Week of the Ocean
- National Crime Victims? Rights Week
- National Volunteer Week
- Toonik Tyme (Aboriginal)Traditional Inuit games
Last Week in April
- Forest Week
- National Lingerie Week
- Canada-US Goodwill Week
- Big Brothers/Sisters Appreciation Week
- Consumer Protection Week
- National TV-Free Week
- Jewish Heritage Week
- Grange Week
- Keep America Beautiful Week
- National YMCA Week
- Professional Secretaries Week
- National Give-A-Sample Week
- Sky Awareness Week
- Intergenerational Week
- Reading Is Fun Week
- Week of the Young Child
- Egg Salad Week
- Teacher Appreciation Week (begins Last Mon)
A Week in April
- Astronomy Week (determined by 1st Quarter Moon)
April Movable Daily Holidays
1st Sunday
- Set-Your Clock-Forward-Day
- Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States; turn your clock ahead at 2:00 a.m.
- Budoha Day (Hawaii)
- Wesak (Buddha's Birthday)
1st Saturday
- Saturday Market Day (Oregon)
1st Saturday before 5th
- Tax Saturday (UK)
1st Thursday
- Glarus Festival (Switzerland)
1st Friday
- Student Government Day (Massachusetts)
Friday after 1st
- Arbor Day (Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Mohave, Yavapai; Arizona)
2nd Friday
- Audubon Day
3rd Sunday & Monday
- Sechselauten (Six Ringing Festival; Switzerland)
3rd Monday
- Patriot's Day (Maine, Massachusetts)
- Boston Marathon
Thursday between 19th & 26th
- First Day of Summer (Iceland)
Saturday nearest St. George's Day (23rd)
- Peppercorn Day (Bermuda)
Monday nearest Feast Day of St. George (23rd)
- St. George's Day (Newfoundland)
Sunday after 1st full moon after vernal equinox following Passover
- Lambri (Bright Day; Greece)
3rd Monday
- Patriots' Day (Maine, Massachusetts)
4th Monday
- Fast Day (New Hampshire)
4th Thursday
- Take Our Daughters to Work Day
4th Weekend
- Just Pray No weekend
Last Monday
- Confederate Memorial Day (Alabama, Mississippi)
Last Friday
- Arbor Day
- Bird Day
Wednesday of Last Full Week
- Professional Secretaries Day
April Indeterminate Holidays
Full Moon Day of 6th Buddhist month (@ Apr/May)
- Vesak
Sun enters Aries
- Solar New Year (Southeast Asia)
- aka Thingyan (Burma)
- aka Songkran (Thailand)
10th through 15th Day of 2nd lunar month
- Paro Tsechu (Bhutan)
During planting season (@ Apr/May)
- Tyi Wara (Mali)
Early April to late July (every 4 years)
- Summer Olympics begin
Late April or May
- Alp Aufzug (Switzerland)
Before 1st rainfall (@ Apr/May)
- Bobo Masquerade (Burkina Faso)
Sometime in April
- World Champioinship Cow Chip Throwing Contest
- Palm Sunday - Christian
- Palm Sunday - Armenian Christian
- GOOD FRIDAY - Christian
- Easter - Christian
- Pesach-Passover (Jewish)
April Daily Holidays
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
See also
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |