June is a summer month in the northern half of the world, and a winter month in the southern half. It is named after Juno, the goddess of youth.
June is the sixth month in the Gregorian Calendar and has 30 days. It is the first month of Astronomical Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and Astronomical Winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
What Is the Meaning of June?
June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of youth and protection. Her name (Latin Iūnō) comes from the root word for ‘young’ (Iuuen) and goes back to the idea of vital energy and fertility.
Another etymology for the origin of June explains the month’s name with the Latin word for youth: June was dedicated to Iuventas, the young, while May was for the Maiores, the elders. Both explanations work equally well, as Juno is the goddess of youth.
The June Solstice or Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the first day of astronomical summer. The date varies between June 20, 21, and 22.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the June solstice is the first day of astronomical winter since it is the shortest day of the year there. The word solstice means ‘sun-stopping’ (from the Latin solstitium) because the Sun seems to be standing still in the sky.
In the old Roman Calendar, June was called mens iunius and had 29 days. The Roman year started in March, and Iunius was the fourth month. In the year 154 BCE, a rebellion forced the Roman senate to change the beginning of the civil year from March to January 1. With this reform, June officially became the sixth month in the year 153 BCE. In the year 46 BCE, Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar system – the Julian Calendar. He added ten days to the year and introduced the leap day. In the new Julian Calendar, June was expanded to 30 days.
