WHY IS OCTOBER NOT DECEMBER ? HOW THE 8TH MONTH BECAME THE 10TH MONTH
month seven, eight, nine, and ten. The calendar was based on lunar cycles, and, while it may have seemed like an accurate way to record a calendar year at the time, it left around 61 days of winter unaccounted for each year. Roman ruler Numa Pompilius, who supposedly succeeded Romulus as ruler of Rome, added the months we now know as January and February to the beginning of the calendar to account for that 61 days and to more accurately reflect the time it takes for the earth to revolve once around the sun. Through a rather convoluted process that accounted for the Romans’ abhorrence to even numbers — odd numbers were considered good luck to Ancient Romans — Pompilius came up with a calendar year that had 355 days. Eventually, the Romans moved to a calendar that was 365 days long and didn’t require an extra month every other year. However, despite all the changes, the month of October remained a steadfast part of the fall season, now as the 10th month.
Octopuses have eight tentacles. Octagons have eight sides. An octet is a group of eight people. October is the … 10th month of the year? All of these words are derived in part from the Latin word for the number eight, octo . So that means any word that starts with “oct,” “octo,” “octa,” or anything similar should have something to do with the number eight, right? This was once true for the month of October as well, but now the name of the month is a relic of humanity’s desire to record history and keep time. As the legend goes, the first ruler of Rome, Romulus, instituted a 10-month calendar that was about 304 days long. Whether this is true or not, the origin of the 10-month calendar probably came from the ancient Greeks. The last four months of the Greek’s 10-month year were called September, October, November, and December, meaning
In 1790, a school teacher named Ichabod Crane was riding home alone from a harvest festival in the village of Sleepy Hollow when he encountered a mysterious rider on horseback. Crane, horrified by the horseman’s missing head, turned and ran in the opposite direction. The Headless Horseman gave chase, hurling his own decapitated head at the terrified teacher. Ichabod Crane was never heard from again ... or so goes “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. This story, first published in 1820, has become a Halloween favorite. The legend is so beloved that in 1997, the village of North Tarrytown, New York, where many events of the story take place, officially changed its name to Sleepy Hollow. Today, the town becomes one big Halloween party during the month of October. Sleepy Hollow is home to many historic landmarks, including the Headless Horseman Bridge and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Washington Irving himself was laid to rest. Evening lantern tours of the cemetery are a popular attraction, and Irving isn’t the only spooky celebrity buried there. Fans of the Gothic soap opera HAYRIDES AND HEADLESS HORSEMEN Halloween Celebrations in Sleepy Hollow
“Dark Shadows” will be delighted to enter the crypt of famed vampire Barnabas Collins. Another highly anticipated stop for many guests is Sleepy Hollow’s premier annual attraction, Horseman’s Hollow, an experience not for the faint of heart. During the event, the 300-year-old Philipsburg Manor is transformed into a living nightmare, where vampires, witches, ghouls, and undead soldiers lurk in the shadows. They all serve the dreaded Headless Horseman and are determined to make sure guests don’t leave alive! But it’s not all scares in Sleepy Hollow. There’s plenty of Halloween fun for all ages. Sleepy Hollow boasts relaxing hayrides, tours of Irving’s home, live readings of famous Halloween stories, performances of a brand-new musical based on Irving’s spooky tale, and the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, an incredible exhibition of over 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins. If you want a real Halloween experience, you can’t go wrong in Sleepy Hollow. Just be careful not to lose your head!
2 ZDFIRM.COM
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