June is the sixth month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in almost all the world today. June was the fourth month in the early Roman calendar, and it once had 29 days. The Romans later moved the beginning of the year to January 1, making June the sixth month. When the Roman statesman Julius Caesar reformed the calendar in 46 B.C., he gave June 30 days. Some authorities believe the Romans named the month for Juno, the patron goddess of marriage. June was believed to be the best time for marriages, and it remains a popular month for weddings. Others trace the name to a family name, Junius. The Junius family was powerful and important throughout the early history of ancient Rome.
June 1 marks Gawai Dayak (Dayak Harvest Festival), the most important holiday celebrated in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. The Bahamas celebrates Labour Day on the first Friday of June. The Philippines’ Independence Day is on June 12. In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14, the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. flag by the Continental Congress in 1777. The third Sunday of the month is Father’s Day in Canada and the United States. Some Americans observe Juneteenth, though it is not a national holiday. The name Juneteenth is a shortening of June 19th, the date on which many of the slaves in Texas first learned of their emancipation.
June 24th, St. John the Baptist’s Day, is celebrated in many countries, and customs surrounding the holiday vary from place to place. Also known as Midsummer’s Day, this holiday often combines a celebration of the summer solstice (which occurs between the 20th and 22nd of June) with the commemoration of the anniversary of the birth of Saint John the Baptist.
June’s flowers are the rose and the honeysuckle. Gems associated with the month are the pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.
See also Calendar ; Father’s Day ; Flag Day .
