April

April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.

<< April >>
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
0102
03040506070809
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
2022

April is commonly associated with the season of autumn in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, and spring in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to October in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

History
April, Brevarium Grimani, fol. 5v (Flemish)

The Romans gave this month the Latin name Aprilis[1] but the derivation of this name is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the verb aperire, "to open", in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to "open", which is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of άνοιξη (ánixi) (opening) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus, her Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from the Etruscan name Apru. Jacob Grimm suggests the name of a hypothetical god or hero, Aper or Aprus.[2]

April was the second month of the earliest Roman calendar,[3] before Ianuarius and Februarius were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC. It became the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it also was given 29 days. The 30th day was added during the reform of the calendar undertaken by Julius Caesar in the mid-40s BC, which produced the Julian calendar.

The Anglo-Saxons called April ēastre-monaþ. The Venerable Bede says in The Reckoning of Time that this month ēastre is the root of the word Easter. He further states that the month was named after a goddess Eostre whose feast was in that month. It is also attested by Einhard in his work, Vita Karoli Magni.

St George's day is the twenty-third of the month; and St Mark's Eve, with its superstition that the ghosts of those who are doomed to die within the year will be seen to pass into the church, falls on the twenty-fourth.[3]

In China the symbolic of the earth by the emperor and princes of the blood took place in their third month, which frequently corresponds to April.[3] In Finnish April is huhtikuu, meaning slash-and-burn moon, when gymnosperms for beat and burn clearing of farmland were felled.

In Slovene, the most established traditional name is mali traven, meaning the month when plants start growing. It was first written in 1466 in the Škofja Loka manuscript.[4]

The month Aprilis had 30 days; Numa Pompilius made it 29 days long; finally Julius Caesar’s calendar reform made it again 30 days long, which was not changed in the calendar revision of Augustus Caesar in 8 BC. Additionally in the Spanish colony, Las Islas Filipinas (now known as the Philippines), the month Aprilis had a significant meaning to the life of the natives as it was associated to the influence of the Chinese during the Spanish colonial period. The importance of this aspect to the lives of the natives was formerly associated to an event called "Abril na Ikaw" as it is closely linked to the famous trader, April Yu.

In Ancient Rome, the festival of Cerealia was held for seven days from mid-to-late April, but exact dates are uncertain. Feriae Latinae was also held in April, with the date varying. Other ancient Roman observances include Veneralia (April 1), Megalesia (April 10–16), Fordicidia (April 15), Parilia (April 21), Vinalia Urbana, Robigalia, and Serapia were celebrated on (April 25). Floralia was held April 27 during the Republican era, or April 28 on the Julian calendar, and lasted until May 3. However, these dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

The Lyrids meteor shower appears on April 16 – April 26 each year, with the peak generally occurring on April 22. Eta Aquariids meteor shower also appears in April. It is visible from about April 21 to about May 20 each year with peak activity on or around May 6. The Pi Puppids appear on April 23, but only in years around the parent comet's perihelion date. The Virginids also shower at various dates in April.

The "Days of April" (journées d'avril) is a name assigned in French history to a series of insurrections at Lyons, Paris and elsewhere, against the government of Louis Philippe in 1834, which led to violent repressive measures, and to a famous trial known as the procès d'avril.[3]

April symbols
Faceted diamond

April's birthstone is the diamond.

  • Daisy flower
    Sweet pea
    The birth flower is typically listed as either the common daisy (Bellis perennis) or the sweet pea.[5][6]
  • The zodiac signs for the month of April are Aries (until April 20) and Taurus (April 20 onwards).[7][8]

April observances

This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor general observance.

Month-long observances
A fresco in a Catholic church in Switzerland representing the Resurrection of the Lord

United States
  • Arab American Heritage Month
  • Autism Awareness Month[9][10][11]
  • Cancer Control Month
  • Community College Awareness Month
  • Confederate History Month (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia)
  • Donate Life Month
  • Financial Literacy Month
  • Jazz Appreciation Month
  • Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month
  • Month of the Military Child[12][13]
  • National Poetry Month
  • National Poetry Writing Month
  • Occupational Therapy Month[14]
  • National Prevent Child Abuse Month
  • National Volunteer Month
  • Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month
  • Rosacea Awareness Month[15][16]
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month

United States Food months
  • Fresh Florida Tomato Month
  • National Food Month
  • National Grilled Cheese Month
  • National Pecan Month
  • National Soft Pretzel Month
  • National Soyfoods Month

Non-Gregorian observances: 2021

(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)

  • List of observances set by the Bahá'í calendar
  • List of observances set by the Chinese calendar
  • List of observances set by the Hebrew calendar
  • List of observances set by the Islamic calendar
  • List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar

Movable observances, 2021 dates
  • Youth Homelessness Matters Day
  • National Health Day (Kiribati): April 6
  • Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (United States): April 13–19[17]
  • National Park Week (United States): April 18–26
  • Crime Victims' Rights Week (United States): April 19–25[18]
  • National Volunteer Week: April 19–25
  • European Immunization Week: April 20–26
  • Day of Silence (United States): April 24
  • Pay It Forward Day: April 28 (International observance)
  • Denim Day: April 29 (International observance)
  • Day of Dialogue (United States)
  • Vaccination Week In The Americas
  • See: List of movable Western Christian observances
  • See: List of movable Eastern Christian observances

First Wednesday: April 1

First Saturday: April 4

First Sunday: April 5

First full week: April 5–11
  • National Library Week (United States)
    • National Library Workers Day (United States) (Tuesday of National Library week, April 4)
    • National Bookmobile Day (Wednesday of National Library week, April 5)
  • National Public Health Week (United States)
  • National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (United States)
Second Wednesday: April 8
  • International Day of Pink
Second Thursday: April 9
Second Friday of April: April 10
  • Fast and Prayer Day (Liberia)
  • Air Force Day (Russia)
  • Kamakura Matsuri at Tsurugaoka Hachiman (Kamakura, Japan), lasts until third Sunday.

Second Sunday: April 12
  • Children's Day (Peru)

Week of April 14: April 12–18

Third Wednesday: April 15

Third Thursday: April 16

Third Saturday: April 18
  • Record Store Day (International observance)

Last full week of April: April 19–25

Week of April 23: April 19–25

Week of the New Moon: April 19–25

Third Monday: April 20
Wednesday of last full week of April: April 22

First Thursday after April 18: April 23
Fourth Thursday: April 23
Last Friday: April 24

Last Friday in April to first Sunday in May: April 24-May 3
Last Saturday: April 25
Last Sunday: April 26
April 27 (moves to April 26 if April 27 is on a Sunday): April 27
Last Monday: April 27
Last Wednesday: April 29
  • International Noise Awareness Day

Fixed observances
  • April 1
  • April 2
    • International Children's Book Day (International observance)
    • Malvinas Day (Argentina)
    • National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day (United States)
    • Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)
    • Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)
    • World Autism Awareness Day (International observance)
  • April 3
  • April 4
    • Children's Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
    • Independence Day (Senegal)
    • International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
    • Peace Day (Angola)
  • April 5
  • April 6
    • Chakri Day (Thailand)
    • National Beer Day (United Kingdom)
    • New Beer's Eve (United States)
    • Tartan Day (United States & Canada)
  • April 7
    • Flag Day (Slovenia)
    • Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
      • International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
    • Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
    • National Beer Day (United States)
    • No Housework Day
    • Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
    • Women's Day (Mozambique)
    • World Health Day (International observance)
  • April 8
  • April 9
    • Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark (Denmark)
    • Baghdad Liberation Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Constitution Day (Kosovo)
    • Day of National Unity (Georgia)
    • Day of the Finnish Language (Finland)
    • Day of Valor or Araw ng Kagitingan (Philippines)
    • Feast of the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
    • International Banshtai Tsai Day
    • Martyr's Day (Tunisia)
    • National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)
    • Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (The Troth)
    • Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)
  • April 10
  • April 11
    • Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
    • International Louie Louie Day
    • National Cheese Fondue Day (United States)
    • World Parkinson's Day
  • April 12
    • Children's Day (Bolivia and Haiti)
    • Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
      • Cosmonautics Day (Russia)
      • International Day of Human Space Flight
      • Yuri's Night (International observance)
    • Halifax Day (North Carolina)
    • National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (United States)
    • National Redemption Day (Liberia)
    • Walk on Your Wild Side Day
  • April 13
    • Jefferson's Birthday (United States)
    • Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
    • Teacher's Day (Ecuador)
    • First day of Thingyan (Myanmar) (April 13–16)
    • Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)
  • April 14
    • ʔabusibaree (Okinawa Islands, Japan)
    • Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
    • Black Day (South Korea)
    • Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
    • Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
    • Day of the Georgian language (Georgia (country))
    • Season of Emancipation (April 14 to August 23) (Barbados)
    • N'Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
    • Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh)
    • Pana Sankranti (Odisha, India)
    • Puthandu (Tamils) (India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka)
    • Second day of Songkran (Thailand) (Thailand)
    • Pan American Day (several countries in the Americas)
    • The first day of Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama, Gifu, Japan)
    • Vaisakh (Punjab (region)), (India and Pakistan)
    • Youth Day (Angola)
  • April 15
    • Day of the Sun (North Korea).[19]
    • Hillsborough Disaster Memorial (Liverpool, England)
    • Jackie Robinson Day (United States)
    • Pohela Boishakh (West Bengal, India) (Note: celebrated on April 14 in Bangladesh)
    • Last day of Songkran (Thailand) (Thailand)
    • Tax Day, the official deadline for filing an individual tax return (or requesting an extension). (United States, Philippines)
    • Universal Day of Culture
    • World Art Day
  • April 16
    • Birthday of José de Diego (Puerto Rico, United States)
    • Birthday of Queen Margrethe II (Denmark)
    • Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C., United States)
    • Foursquare Day (International observance)
    • Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust (Hungary)
    • National Healthcare Decisions Day (United States)
    • Remembrance of Chemical Attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • World Voice Day
  • April 17
    • Blah Blah Blah Day
    • Evacuation Day (Syria)
    • FAO Day (Iraq)
    • Flag Day (American Samoa)
    • Malbec World Day
    • National Cheeseball Day (United States)
    • National Espresso Day (Italy)
    • Women's Day (Gabon)
    • World Hemophilia Day
  • April 18
    • Anniversary of the Victory over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice, 1242 (Russia)
    • Army Day (Iran)
    • Coma Patients' Day (Poland)
    • Friend's Day (Brazil)
    • Independence Day (Zimbabwe)
    • International Day For Monuments and Sites
    • Invention Day (Japan)
    • Pet Owner's Independence Day
  • April 19
    • Army Day (Brazil)
    • Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
    • Bicycle Day
    • Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States)
    • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Poland)
    • Indian Day (Brazil)
    • King Mswati III's birthday (Eswatini)
    • Landing of the 33 Patriots Day (Uruguay)
    • National Garlic Day (United States)
    • National Rice Ball Day (United States)
    • Primrose Day (United Kingdom)
  • April 20
    • 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
    • UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)
  • April 21
    • A&M Day (Texas A&M University)
    • Civil Service Day (India)
    • Day of Local Self-Government (Russia)
    • Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
    • Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
    • Kang Pan-sok's Birthday (North Korea)
    • Kartini Day (Indonesia)
    • Local Self Government Day (Russia)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
    • San Jacinto Day (Texas)
    • Queen's Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
    • Tiradentes' Day (Brazil)
    • Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)
  • April 22
    • Discovery Day (Brazil)
    • Earth Day (International observance) and its related observance:
      • International Mother Earth Day
    • Holocaust Remembrance Day (Serbia)
    • National Jelly Bean Day (United States)
  • April 23
  • April 24
    • Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia)
    • Concord Day (Niger)
    • Children's Day (Zambia)
    • Democracy Day (Nepal)
    • Fashion Revolution Day
    • Flag Day (Ireland)
    • International Sculpture Day
    • Kapyong Day (Australia)
    • Labour Safety Day (Bangladesh)
    • National Panchayati Raj Day (India)
    • National Pigs in a Blanket Day (United States)
    • Republic Day (The Gambia)
    • St Mark's Eve (Western Christianity)
    • World Day for Laboratory Animals
  • April 25
    • Anniversary of the First Cabinet of Kurdish Government (Iraqi Kurdistan)
    • Anzac Day (Australia, New Zealand)
    • Arbor Day (Germany)
    • DNA Day
    • Feast of Saint Mark (Western Christianity)
    • Flag Day (Faroe Islands)
    • Flag Day (Eswatini)
    • Freedom Day (Portugal)
    • Liberation Day (Italy)
    • Major Rogation (Western Christianity)
    • Military Foundation Day (North Korea)[19]
    • National Zucchini Bread Day (United States)
    • Parental Alienation Awareness Day
    • Red Hat Society Day
    • Sinai Liberation Day (Egypt)
    • World Malaria Day
  • April 26
    • Chernobyl disaster related observances:
      • Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia)
      • Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus)
    • Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States)
    • Hug A Friend Day
    • Hug an Australian Day
    • Lesbian Visibility Day
    • National Pretzel Day (United States)
    • Old Permic Alphabet Day
    • Union Day (Tanzania)
    • World Intellectual Property Day
  • April 27
    • Day of Russian Parliamentarism (Russia)
    • Day of the Uprising Against the Occupying Forces (Slovenia)
    • Flag Day (Moldova)
    • Freedom Day (South Africa)
      • UnFreedom Day
    • Independence Day (Sierra Leone)
    • Independence Day (Togo)
    • National Day (Mayotte)
    • National Day (Sierra Leone)
    • National Prime Rib Day (United States)
    • National Veterans' Day (Finland)
  • April 28
    • Lawyers' Day (Orissa, India)
    • Mujahideen Victory Day (Afghanistan)
    • National Day (Sardinia, Italy)
    • National Heroes Day (Barbados)
    • Restoration of Sovereignty Day (Japan)
    • Workers' Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work (international)
      • National Day of Mourning (Canada)
  • April 29
    • Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (United Nations)
    • International Dance Day (UNESCO)
    • Princess Bedike's Birthday (Denmark)
    • National Shrimp Scampi Day (United States)
    • Shōwa Day, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period, which is April 29 and May 3–5. (Japan)
  • April 30
    • Armed Forces Day (Georgia (country))
    • Birthday of the King (Sweden)
    • Camarón Day (French Foreign Legion)
    • Children's Day (Mexico)
    • Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
    • Honesty Day (United States)
    • International Jazz Day (UNESCO)
    • Martyr's Day (Pakistan)
    • May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer in the Northern hemisphere (see May 1):
      • Beltane begins at sunset in the Northern hemisphere, Samhain begins at sunset in the Southern hemisphere. (Neo-Druidic Wheel of the Year)
      • Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
      • Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe)
    • National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
    • Reunification Day (Vietnam)
    • Russian State Fire Service Day (Russia)
    • Tax Day (Canada)
    • Teachers' Day (Paraguay)

See also
  • Germanic calendar
  • List of historical anniversaries
  • Sinking of the RMS Titanic

References
  1. "April" in Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 497.
  2. Jacob Grim Geschichte der deutschen Sprache. Cap. "Monate"
  3. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "April". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 230.
  4. "Koledar prireditev v letu 2007 in druge informacije občine Dobrova–Polhov Gradec" [The Calendar of Events and Other Information of the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec] (PDF) (in Slovenian). Municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Kipfer, Barbara Ann (1997) The Order of Things. New York: Random House
  6. "U101 College Search". Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
  7. The Earth passed the junction of the signs at 14:45 UT/GMT April 19, 2020, and will pass it again at 20:33 UT/GMT April 19, 2021.
  8. "Astrology Calendar", yourzodiacsign. Signs in UT/GMT for 1950–2030.
  9. "Virginia Governor - Ralph Northam - Proclamation". www.governor.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  10. "Autism Awareness Month – Michael J. Dunleavy". gov.alaska.gov. April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  11. "World Autism Month". Autism Speaks. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  12. "The Month of the Military Child". Department of Defense Education Activity. DoDEA. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  13. "Month of the Military Child". Department of Defense. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  14. "Occupational Therapy Month". American Occupational Therapy Association. AOTA. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  15. "National Rosacea Society designates April as "Rosacea Awareness Month"". Practical Dermatology. April 3, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  16. "Rosacea Awareness Month Focuses on Management Options". Pharmacy Times. April 1, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  18. "National Crime Victims' Rights Week". United States Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  19. Seol Song Ah (December 7, 2015). "Kim Jong Un's birthday still not a holiday". Daily NK. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
Wikiquote has quotations related to April.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to April.
Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for April.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.