April

The average monthly temperature in April in the Moscow region is +3.7 ° C, the rate of sunshine is 164.5 hours ^[3] .

The transition of the average daily temperature above zero occurs around April 3, the earliest date is March 13 (1933), and the latest is April 24 (1929). Snow cover comes off around April 12, the earliest date is March 17 (1921), and the latest is April 21 (1926). Around April 20, the soil thaws completely, the earliest date is April 8 (1935), the latest - May 5 (1929). April is the flood month ^[3] .

This month (data for the Moscow region), the beginning of sap flow in birch. After the snow melts, the coltsfoot , the hazel nut , the red willow , the alder , the spruce , the wolffoot , the chistyak , the buttercup , etc., blossom . ^[3]

Chibis and cranes arrive from the south. Toward the end of the month (after the 24th day) the cuckoo starts to cook ^[3] .

April is one of the most active months for the rural owner and the gardener. In Central Europe, this month sowing of spring bread , vegetables , clover , etc. At the same time, cleaning up and planting of trees, irrigation of meadows begins, sow and transplant various vegetables in vegetable gardens. The beginning of sowing of early spring breads in central Russia occurs immediately after the soil has completely thawed, in the second half of the month. In April, together with the flowering of plants, the work of bees begins. The important role that April plays in the economic life of the people is reflected in the whole mass of proverbs or popular rules relating to it. Due to the frequent changes experienced by the weather in this month, the colossal weather is called April weather, for the same reason often alternating desires and whims are called April fads ^[4] .

April begins on the same day of the week as July in all years, and as January in leap years. Each year ends on the same day of the week as December.

The name of April probably occurs, as the ancients already recognized (for example, Macrobius in “Saturnalia” ^[5] , where, in turn, there are indications of earlier authors), from the Latin verb aperire (or aperio ) - “to open”, because this month in Italy opened, spring began, trees and flowers bloomed ^[4] . This etymology is supported by a comparison with modern Greek using the word ἁνοιξις ( anoixis ) - “discovery” to refer to spring. According to another version, the name of the month is derived from the Latin word apricus - “warmed by the sun” ^[3] .

Since some of the Roman months were named after deities, April was also dedicated to the goddess Venus (Festum Veneris). Since the celebration of Fortunae Virilis is held on the first day of the month, it was suggested that the very name of the month Aprilis comes from Aphrilis , which is a reference to the Greek goddess Aphrodite (also Aphros ), associated by the Romans with Venus, born from foam, hence the name of the month Aprilis formed from άφρός (foam), could be written as Aphrilis ^[5] ; Etruscan version of the name of this goddess - Apru . Jacob Grimm assumed the existence of a hypothetical god or hero Aper (Aper) or Aprus (Aprus) ^[6] .

April has now 30 days, but before the reform of Julius Caesar, he had only 29 ^[4] . At this time, opened the longest season dedicated to the gods ( 19 days), during which all judicial institutions did not work in ancient Rome. In April 65, after the disclosure of Piso's conspiracy against the person of Emperor Nero , the frightened Roman Senate announced the renaming of the month of April to “Neroni”; this name after the death of Nero, which followed in 68, was not used.

April's historic English names include its Anglo-Saxon designation Oster-monath or Eostur-monath . Trouble The Venerable asserted that the name of this month had as its root the name of the holiday of Easter ( Easter - in modern English ). In addition, he admitted that the month could be named after the pagan goddess Eostre , who was honored at that time. Charlemagne also wanted to preserve for him the German name Ostermonat - “Easter month”; the Dutch had April called Grasmonat ("month of grass"). Already in the new time in the German commune of Eshenburg there were attempts to rename it Wandelmonat or Wandelmond (“month of changes”) ^[4] . In the Old Russian calendar (before the establishment of Christianity), the month was called Berezozol ^[7] , and in the folk month also snow snow, caddis, aquarius, primrose .

In most European languages, the name April corresponds to the Latin tradition. However, there are a few exceptions.

In Finnish, the month is called huhtikuu , that is, the “month of burning trees”, since this month they chopped and burned trees to clear the land for agricultural land ^[8] . In Czech, April is called duben , from the word "oak." In Ukrainian - kvіten , in Polish - kwiecień , from the word "bloom". Close in meaning is the Belarusian name of April - krasavik - “blossoming”. In Croatian, travanj is “herbal.” The Turkish name of the month - Nisan - follows the ancient Middle Eastern tradition, having the Sumerian word nisag - “first fruits”. In Lithuanian it is called balandis , literally - “dove” ^[9] .

In modern Chinese and Japanese , April is designated as the "fourth month."

Music

• "April" - the song of the group " Cinema ", the album " Star named the Sun ", 1989.

Fine Art

• “April” - a painting by Leandro Bassano , 1595/1600

Cinema

• April - Soviet short film Otar Ioseliani , 1961
• April - Russian film of 2001 by Konstantin Murzenko .
• April Rains is the 2009 American independent film .

• April 1 - April Fool's Day ; International Bird Day
• April 7 - the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Christians who adhere to the "old style"
• April 8 - International Gypsy Day
• April 12 - World Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics
• April 16 - Day of the Police Officer of Armenia
• April 22 - Earth Day
• April 23 - International Book Day
• April 30-- fire day

"Sliding"

• Easter
• Peysah .
• Wesak (in the full moon) is the birthday of the Buddha .
• A drop of water is a grain of gold (the first Sunday of April).
• The second Saturday is the Day of the Peoples of the Middle Urals ^[10] (since 2003).
• The first Sunday is Geologist Day .

• Calendar // Encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907. Article Vitkovskogo V.V.