Home page
The Old English calendar had twelve months and the year started with the winter solstice. This festival was known as Geola from which we get the modern word Yule. The summer solstice was known as Liþa whose meaning is unclear.
The months were named as follows :-
| Month Number | Month Name | Meaning |
| 1 | Æfterra Geola | After Yule |
| 2 | Solmonað | Sun Month |
| 3 | Hreþmonað | Named after the divinity Hrepe |
| 4 | Eastermonað | Named after the divinity Eostre The likely source of the name for Easter |
| 5 | Ðrimilcemonað | Cow milking month Cows were milked three times daily at this time of year |
| 6 | Ærra Liþa | Before Liþa |
| 7 | Æfterra Liþa | After Liþa |
| 8 | Weodmonað | Weed month This could be a reference to the growth of vegetation |
| 9 | Haligmonað | Holy month Probably a reference to harvest thanksgiving |
| 10 | Winterfylleð | Winter month The first full moon of winter |
| 11 | Blotmonað | Sacrifice month When animals who could not survive the winter would be slaughtered |
| 12 | Ærra Geola | Before Yule |
The days of the week were named as follows :-
| Modern name | Old English Name | Meaning |
| Sunday | Sunnandæg | The day of the Sun |
| Monday | Monandæg | The day of the Moon |
| Tuesday | Tiwesdæg | The day of Tiw The Norse God Tyr |
| Wednesday | Wodnesdæg | The day of Woden The Norse God Odinn |
| Thursday | Þunresdæg | The day of Thunor The Norse God Thor |
| Friday | Frigedæg | The day of Frige, or love |
| Saturday | Sæterndæg | The day of Saturn |
The day was considered to start at sunset and run until the next sunset. This led the Anglo Saxons to refer to a length of time as 'so many nights' rather than 'so many days' which is why a period of two weeks is known as a fortnight in Britain to this day.
This calendar was later replaced by the Julian Calendar but I have been unable to obtain a date for this change-over.
Home page