August

{{short description|Eighth month in the Julian and Gregorian calendars}}

{{Redirect|Aug.|other uses|AUG (disambiguation){{!}}Aug}}

File:Reeve and Serfs.jpg in the August calendar page of the Queen Mary Psalter (fol. 78v), ca. 1310]]

August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.{{Cite web |title=August {{!}} month {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/August-month |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August falls in summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the month falls during winter. In many European countries, August is the holiday month for most workers. Numerous religious holidays occurred during August in ancient Rome.Supplicia canum was held on August 3, Lychnapsia on August 12, Nemoralia was held from August 13–15 (or on the full moon of August), Tiberinalia and Portumnalia on August 17, Consuales Ludi on August 18, Vinalia rustica on August 19, Vulcanalia on August 23, Opiconsivia on August 25, and Volturnalia on August 27. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Certain meteor showers take place in August. The Kappa Cygnids occur in August, with yearly dates varying. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower occurs as early as July 10 and ends around August 10. The Southern Delta Aquariids occur from mid-July to mid-August, with the peak usually around July 28–29. The Perseids, a major meteor shower, typically takes place between July 17 and August 24, with the peak days varying yearly. The star cluster of Messier 30 is best observed around August.

Among the aborigines of the Canary Islands, especially among the Guanches of Tenerife, the month of August received the name of Beñesmer or Beñesmen, which was also the harvest festival held that month.{{cite book |last=Abréu Galindo |first=Juan de |author-link=Juan de Abréu Galindo |title=Historia de la conquista de las siete islas de Gran Canaria |url=http://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/ref/collection/MDC/id/70784 |year=1848 |orig-year=1632 |publisher=Imprenta, Litografía y Librería Isleña |location=Santa Cruz de Tenerife |access-date=October 5, 2017 |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212135233/https://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/ref/collection/MDC/id/70784 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |last=Torriani |first=Leonardo |author-link=Leonardo Torriani |title=Descripción e historia del reino de las Islas Canarias: antes Afortunadas, con el parecer de sus fortificaciones |url=http://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/ref/collection/MDC/id/44103 |year=1959 |orig-year=1590 |publisher=Goya Ediciones |location=Santa Cruz de Tenerife |access-date=October 5, 2017 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123065752/https://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/ref/collection/MDC/id/44103 |url-status=dead }}

The month was originally named Sextilis in Latin because it was the 6th month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, with March being the first month of the year. About 700 BC, it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in {{auc|46|BC|main=greg}}, giving it its modern length of 31 days.

In 8 BC, the month was renamed in honor of Emperor Augustus.{{cite web| url = https://www.livescience.com/45650-calendar-history.html| title = Keeping Time: Months and the Modern Calendar | website = Live Science| date = May 16, 2014}} According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt.{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:id=calendarium-cn|title=Year of Julius Caesar, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin, Ed.}} Commonly repeated lore has it that August has 31 days because Augustus wanted his month to match the length of Julius Caesar's July, but this is an invention of the 13th century scholar Johannes de Sacrobosco. Sextilis had 31 days before it was renamed. It was not chosen for its length.{{cite magazine |first=Roscoe |last=Lamont |year=1919 |title=The Roman calendar and its reformation by Julius Caesar |magazine=Popular Astronomy |volume=27 |pages=583–595, esp. 585–587 |bibcode=1919PA.....27..579P |url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1919PA.....27..579P/0000583.000.html}} Sacrobosco's theory is discussed on pages 585–587.{{cite book |last=Nothaft |first=C. Philipp E. |date=2018 |title=Scandalous Error: Calendar Reform and Calendrical Astronomy in Medieval Europe |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=122 |isbn=9780198799559 |doi=10.1093/oso/9780198799559.001.0001}}

Symbols

File:Gladiolus imbricatus1002.jpg]]

File:Peridot-China.jpg gemstones]] File:Sardonyx Inscription.JPG stone]] File:Spinel-Calcite-258747.jpg on calcite]]August's birthstones are the peridot, sardonyx, and spinel.{{cite web|url=https://www.americangemsociety.org/en/august-birthstones|title=Why the American Gem Society|website=American Gem Society}} Its birth flower is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family.[https://archive.today/20120911093344/http://www.shgresources.com/gems/birthflowers/ Birth months, flowers, and gemstones], shgresources.com The Western zodiac signs are Leo (until August 22) and Virgo (from August 23 onward).The Earth passes the junction of the signs at 15:44 UT/GMT August 22, 2020. It will pass again at 21:34 UT/GMT on August 22, 2021.{{cite web |title=Astrology Calendar |url=https://www.yourzodiacsign.com/calendar/ |website=yourzodiacsign}} Signs in UT/GMT for 1950–2030.

Observances

This list does not necessarily imply official status or general observance.

= Non-Gregorian: {{CURRENTYEAR}} dates =

(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at sundown before the listed date and end at sundown on the date in question unless otherwise noted.)

= Month-long =

Women's Month (South Africa)
American Adventures Month (celebrates vacationing in the Americas){{cite web|url=https://www.cantonpl.org/blogs/post/american-adventures-month/|title=American Adventures Month|website=Canton Public Library|date=August 2022 }}
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month{{cite web|url=http://www.hap.org/health/topic/eyemonth.php|title=Children's Eye Health and Safety Month}}
Digestive Tract Paralysis (DTP) Month{{cite web|url=https://www.g-pact.org/gpact-in-action/public-relations/online-events|title=Online Events}}
Get Ready for Kindergarten Month{{cite web|url=https://www.ced.org/blog/entry/august-is-get-ready-for-kindergarten-month|title=August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month!|website=Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board}}
Happiness Happens Month
Month of Philippine Languages or Buwan ng Wika (Philippines){{cite web|url=https://www.remithome.com/newsletter-august-2012.html |title=Celebrating Filipino Language and Culture |access-date=2015-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041137/https://www.remithome.com/newsletter-august-2012.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |df=mdy }}
Neurosurgery Outreach Month{{cite web|url=http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Neurosurgery%20Outreach%20Month.aspx|title=AANS}}
Psoriasis Awareness Month{{cite web|url=https://www.psoriasis.org/wellness|title=Psoriasis Awareness Month – Take Action, One Day at a Time – National Psoriasis Foundation}}
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month{{cite web|url=http://curesma.org/|title=Cure SMA – Home}}
What Will Be Your Legacy Month

== United States month-long ==

National Black Business Month{{cite web|url=http://blackbusinessmonth.com/|title=12th annual National Black Business Month|work=National Black Business Month}}
National Children's Vision and Learning Month{{cite web|url=http://www.covd.org/?page=August_VL|title=August is Vision & Learning Month – College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)}}
National Immunization Awareness Month{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam.html|title=National Immunization Awareness Month – NIAM – CDC}}
National Princess Peach Month{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/08/august_is_officially_princess_peach_month_according_to_nintendo_of_america|title=August Is Officially Princess Peach Month, According To Nintendo Of America|date=August 8, 2014 }}
National Water Quality Month{{cite web|url=http://www.goodspeaks.org/event/august-is-national-water-quality-month|title=August is National Water Quality Month|work=GoodSpeaks}}
National Win with Civility Month{{cite web|url=http://www.mhprofessional.com/?page=/mhp/categories/chases/content/special_months.html|title=MHprofessional.com}}

=== Food months in the United States ===

National Catfish Month{{cite web | url = http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/august| title = Food Days, Weeks, Months – August | publisher = University of Nebraska–Lincoln | work = UNL Food }}
National Dippin' Dots Month
Family Meals Month
National Goat Cheese Month.Bober, Mike. [http://www.dcfoodies.com/2008/08/celebrate-natio.html Celebrate National Goat Cheese Month with Local Favorites], dcfoodies.com
National Panini Month{{cite web|url=http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/08/20/why-is-national-panini-month-in-august/|title=Why Is National Panini Month In August?|date=August 20, 2012|work=Food Republic}}
Peach Month
Sandwich Month