Dear Kid,
It’s January. You probably knew that. You probably also know that January is named after Janus, the Roman god with two heads (one looking forward and one looking back). But I’m betting there is a lot you don’t know about the first month of the year.
Like it wasn’t always the first month. If you go back far enough in history, it wasn’t a month at all since months hadn’t been invented. (Fast forward a little, please.) Then January became the 11th month which confused everyone in Times Square.
The Anglo-Saxons called January “Wulfmonath” because hungry wolves came scavenging during the winter. Anyone who has ever fed a teenager will understand this perfectly.
Speaking of food, January is National Soup Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Slow Cooking Month, and National Baking Month. In other words, it’s COLD!
According to My Friend the Internet, more couples separate or get divorced in January than in any other month. This makes no sense, because it’s COLD and snuggling is warm.
There are two zodiac signs in January, Capricorn and Aquarius. This is important to know if you want to check your horoscope. The birthstone for January is garnet. I don’t know why, but it’s a pretty stone, so why not. January’s flower is carnation (meh) which is also the state flower of Ohio. Tulips are better but none of the months have claimed tulips, which is their mistake.
This year, there are two full moons in January. The first was the Full Wolf Moon (which you saw on January 1st if you were paying attention). The second will be the Full Old Moon (also a Blue Moon) which will rise on January 31st (whether or not you are paying attention). Both of them are supermoons which means they are gorgeous and worth sticking your nose out into the cold to see.
Happy January!
Enjoy the rest of the month, kiddo.
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