Spanish names for the months of the year are very similar to English with the exception of January. In Spanish, the word for January is 'enero', however, they both derive from the same meaning.

Several months are named after Roman gods, and January/enero is no different. The words come from the Roman god Janus, the guardian of doors and gates. He has two heads, one looking forward to the future and one looking back to the past.

Mars (marzo) is named after Mars, the god of war, and April (abril) may come from Aphrodite, the goddess of love. May (maia) is believed to honour Maia, the Roman goddess of the earth, and June (junio) comes from Juno, the wife of Jupiter.

July (julio) and August (agosto) were named for Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus. Whilst they were not gods, the people of Rome honoured them as gods after their death.

February (febrero), on the other hand, is derived from a word meaning 'purify'. At one point in history, feasts of purification were often held at this time of year.

The remaining months, September (septiembre), October (octubre), November (noviembre) and December (diciembre) come from the Latin words for 'seven', 'eight', 'nine' and 'ten'. This reflects their position in the old Roman calendar.

Unlike in English, Spanish months are not capitalised unless at the beginning of a sentence. In Spanish, three months have adjective forms: 'abrileño', 'marzal', and 'agosteño', meaning pertaining to April, March and August.

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