Ġēolamonaþ facts for kids

Ġēolamōnaþ or Ȝēolamōnaþ was the old Anglo-Saxon name for the months of December and January. It means "Yule month" in modern English. This name shows how important the winter season was to the Anglo-Saxons.

What Was Ġēolamōnaþ?

The Anglo-Saxons used Ġēolamōnaþ to describe a special time of year. This period included both December and January. It was linked to the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.

Bede's Explanation

A famous Anglo-Saxon scholar named Bede wrote about this. In his book De temporum ratione, Bede explained that the whole winter solstice period was called Ġēola. This was a very important time for them.

December and January's Names

Over time, the Anglo-Saxons started to use more specific names. December became known as Ǣrra-ġēolamōnaþ. This means "the earlier Yule month." January was then called Æfterra-ġēolamōnaþ, meaning "the later Yule month."

This change helped them tell the two months apart. Even so, both months kept the idea of "Yule" in their names. This shows how deeply connected they were to the winter celebrations.

See also

• Germanic calendar
• Anglo-Saxon
• Old English