Slavic calendar

While many Slavic languages officially use Latin-derived names for the months of the year in the Gregorian calendar, there is also a set of older names for the twelve months that differs from the Latin month names, as they are of Slavic origin. In some languages, such as the Serbian language these traditional names have since been archaized and are thus seldom used.

The original names of the months of the year in the Slavic languages closely follow natural occurrences such as weather patterns and conditions common for that period, as well as agricultural activities.

Many months have several alternative names in different regions; conversely, a single “Slavic name” may correspond to different “Roman names” (for different months, usually following each other) in different languages.

Comparison table

The Slavic names of the months have been preserved by a number of Slavic people in a variety of languages. Some languages show the influence of the Germanic calendar(particularly Slovene, Sorbian, and Polabian) but they have been included here nonetheless.

In the Lithuanian language, the Baltic names of the months are preserved, which partially coincide with the Slavic ones, which suggests that some of these names may date back to the time of the Balto-Slavic unity. Lithuanian names are also shown in this table for comparison.

Comparison of the traditional names for the twelve months in different Slavic languages

Language	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Ukrainian	січень sichen’	лютий lyutyy	березень berezen’	квітень kviten’	травень traven’	червень červen’	липень lypen’	серпень serpen’	вересень veresen’	жовтень žovten’	листопад lystopad	грудень hruden’
Rusyn	січень sichen’	лютый lyutyy	березень berezen’	цвітень cviten’	травень traven’	червень červen’	липень lypen’	серпень serpen’	вересень veresen’	жолтень žolten’	листопад lystopad	грудень hruden’
Belarusian	студзень studzien’	люты luty	сакавік sakavik	красавік krasavik	травень travien’	чэрвень červien’	ліпень lipien’	жнівень žnivien’	верасень vierasien’	кастрычнік kastryčnik	лістапад listapad	снежань sniežan’
Russian(archaic)	сечень sečen’	лютый ljutyj	березозол berezozol	цветень cveten’	травень traven’	червень červen’	липец lipec	серпень serpen’	вересень veresen’	листопад listopad	грудень gruden’	студень studen’
Bulgarian(archaic)	сечен sečen	люти lyuti	сухи sukhi	брезен brezen	тревен treven	изок izok	червен červen	зарев zarev	руен ruen		груден gruden	просинец prosinets
Macedonian(archaic)	коложег koložeg	сечко sečko	цутар cutar	тревен treven	косар kosar	жетвар žetvar	златец zlatec	житар žitar	гроздобер grozdober		студен studen	снежник snežnik
Serbian(archaic)			дерикожа derikoža	лежитрава ležitrava	цветањ cvetanj	трешњар trešnjar	жетвар žetvar	гумник gumnik				коледар koledar
Croatian	siječanj	veljača	ožujak	travanj	svibanj	lipanj	srpanj	kolovoz	rujan		studeni	prosinac
Slovene(archaic)	prosinec	svečan	sušec	mali traven	veliki traven	rožnik	mali srpan	veliki srpan	kimavec	vinotok	listopad	gruden
Slovak(archaic)	veľký sečeň	malý sečeň	brezen	duben	kveten	lipen	červenec	klasen	malý rujen	veľký rujen		prosinec
Czech	leden	únor	březen		květen	červen		srpen	září	říjen
Polish	styczeń	luty	brzezień (archaic)	kwiecień; łżykwiat (archaic)	trawień (archaic)	czerwiec	lipiec	sierpień	wrzesień	październik		grudzień
Kashubian	stëczeń	gromicznik	marc	łżëkwiat, kwiecéń	môj	czerwc	lipc	serzpiéń	wrzeseń	pajicznik	lëstopôd	gòdnik
		luti					miodownik			pazdzérznik		grëdzéń
Lower Sorbian(archaic)	wezymski	swěckowny	pózymski	jatšownik	rozhelony	smažki	žnjojski	jacmjeński	požnjenc	winski	młośny	zymski
Upper Sorbian(archaic)	wulki róžk	mały róžk	nalětnik	jutrownik	róžownik		pražnik	žnjenc		winowc	nazymnik	hodownik
Polabian(extinct)	ledemån	rüzac	zürmån	chåidemån	laisemån	pąťustemån	zeminik	haimån	jisinmån	vaińamån	zaimamån	trübnemån
Lithuanian(non-Slavic)	sausis	vasaris	kovas	balandis	gegužė	birželis	liepa	rugpjūtis	rugsėjis	spalis	lapkritis	gruodis

Croatian months

The Croatian months used with the Gregorian calendar by Croats differ from the original Latin month names:

No.	Latin name	English name	Croatian name	Croatian meaning
1	Ianuarius	January	siječanj	month of cutting or hewing (wood), but there are also dialectal terms ‘svečan, svičen, sičan’ that have a meaning ‘festive’, so there is a possibility of a meaning ‘festive month’ (as there are several holidays celebrated in January)
2	Februarius	February	veljača	month in which days become longer (oveljiti se = to get bigger); also, possibly from “Velja Noć” (Great Night), old Slavic pagan festival that falls in modern-day February
3	Martius	March	ožujak	lying month (laž>ož; laž = a lie), because the weather is changing often
4	Aprilis	April	travanj	month of grass growing
5	Maius	May	svibanj	month of budding (svibovina = Cornel tree)
6	Iunius	June	lipanj	month of the lipa (lime / linden tree)
7	Iulius	July	srpanj	month of reaping (with a sickle)
8	Augustus	August	kolovoz	month of driving the wagon (for harvest) — kolo + voziti
9	September	September	rujan	month of animal mating (from archaic verb for animal roar “rjuti”, referencing mating calls)
10	October	October	listopad	month of falling leaves — list + padati
11	November	November	studeni	cold month
12	December	December	prosinac	the beginning of the Sun’s shining (sinuti = to dawn); probably used for January at first, as it’s still often used for that month in other Slavic languages. Also, less probably month of begging (for food, f.e.), from prositi = to beg.

Some names are derived from archaic Croatian/Slavic words that are no longer found in standard Croatian dictionaries. In some cases, even the meaning of those words is ambiguous.

In Macedonian and Serbian, листопад (listopad) is also the (archaic) name for October, whereas Polish and Czech listopad, Belarusian лістапад (listapad), and Ukrainian листопад (lystopad) mean November. Likewise, Polish sierpień, Czech srpen and Ukrainian cерпень (serpen’) mean August rather than July; Czech říjen means October rather than September; Slovenian prosinec means January rather than December; and Polish lipiec, Belarusian лiпень (lipen’) and Ukrainian липень (lypen’) mean July rather than June.

Czech months

The names of Czech months are, as in Polish, Croatian, Ukrainian and Belarusian not based on the Latin names used in most European languages. The suffix -en is added to most of the months’ names.

No.	Latin name	English name	Czech name	Meaning
1.	Ianuarius	January	leden	From led, “ice”.
2.	Februarius	February	únor	Probably from the word root -nor-, infinitive form nořit (se), “to plunge, to welter”, as the ice welters under the lake surface.
3.	Martius	March	březen	Either from bříza, “birch”, or from březí, “gravid, with young”, as the forest animals, mainly hares and rabbits, are pregnant at that time.
4.	Aprilis	April	duben	Derived from dub, “oak”.
5.	Maius	May	květen	From květ, “blossom”. Originally máj, “May”. The word květen first appeared in Jungmann’s translation of Atala from 1805 as a poetism and translation for French lune de fleurs (month of flowers), but quickly gained acceptance. Jungmann was probably also influenced by the Polish word kwiecień (“April”).
6.	Iunius	June	červen	Either from červený, “red”, or from červ, “worm”, both related to fruit.
7.	Iulius	July	červenec	The same as červen with a diminutive suffix ec, lit. “small červen”.
8.	Augustus	August	srpen	From srp, “sickle” – used for harvesting.
9.	September	September	září	From Old Czech zářij, from za říje. (See říjen.) Folk etymology derives it from zářit, “to blaze, glow, radiate, shine”.
10.	October	October	říjen	From říje, “rutting”, the time when the – mainly deer – males want to couple.
11.	November	November	listopad	Literally “leaf-fall”.
12.	December	December	prosinec	Either from prosit, “to pray, beg, to ask, to plead”, possibly relating to holidays at this time, or from prosinalý, “pallid”, from siný, deep blue, because the sky is usually pallid at this time.

Macedonian months

The Macedonian language has two sets of names of the months of the Gregorian calendar. The most commonly used set of names is derived from the Latin month names and these are used by the vast majority of the Macedonian population. However, there is also a set of older names for the twelve months of Slavic origin that differ from the Latin month names, although their usage is archaized and largely restricted to folk literature and religious calendars issued by the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The origin of the Macedonian month names is closely related to the agricultural activities that occur in the corresponding period, or to the weather condition common for that period. Some months have alternative names in different regions. The usage of modern Latin month names among Macedonians started towards the end of the 19th century, as a result of mass education.

No.	Latin name	English name	Macedonian Cyrillic	Macedonian Latin	Old Macedonian name	Transliteration	Meaning
1.	Ianuarius	January	Јануари	Januari	Коложег	Koložeg	Month of burning tree trunks
2.	Februarius	February	Февруари	Fevruari	Сечко	Sečko	Month of ice
3.	Martius	March	Март	Mart	Цутар	Cutar	Month of blossoming
4.	Aprilis	April	Април	April	Тревен	Treven	Month of grass
5.	Maius	May	Мај	Maj	Косар	Kosar	Time of flowering grasses and shrubs
6.	Iunius	June	Јуни	Juni	Жетвар	Žetvar	Time of maturity of the first yield of fruits
7.	Iulius	July	Јули	Juli	Златец	Zlatec	Golden month
8.	Augustus	August	Август	Avgust	Житар	Žitar	Month of wheat
9.	September	September	Септември	Septemvri	Гроздобер	Grozdober	Month of harvesting grapes
10.	October	October	Октомври	Oktomvri	Листопад	Listopad	Month of leaves falling
11.	November	November	Ноември	Noemvri	Студен	Studen	Month of cold
12.	December	December	Декември	Dekemvri	Снежник	Snežnik	Month of snow

Slovene months

Many of the names in the standardized set of archaic Slovene month names first occur in the Škofja Loka manuscript, written in 1466 by Martin of Loka.

No.	Latin name	English name	Slovene name	Slovene name (archaic)	Meaning
1.	Ianuarius	January	januar	prosinec	‘(sun) shining through’;
2.	Februarius	February	februar	svečan	perhaps ‘dry’ or ‘cut’ (influenced by svečnica ‘Candlemas’);
3.	Martius	March	marec	sušec	‘(earth) dry (enough for cultivation)’;
4.	Aprilis	April	april	mali traven	‘small grass’;
5.	Maius	May	maj	veliki traven	‘large grass’;
6.	Iunius	June	junij	rožnik	‘flowers’ (a translation of German Rosenmonat);
7.	Iulius	July	julij	mali srpan	‘small sickle’ (i.e., reaping);
8.	Augustus	August	avgust	veliki srpan	‘large sickle’ (i.e., reaping);
9.	September	September	september	kimavec	‘nodding (fruit)’;
10.	October	October	oktober	vinotok	‘wine flowing’ (a translation of German Weinmonat);
11.	November	November	november	listopad	‘falling leaves’;
12.	December	December	december	gruden	‘biting (cold)’ or ‘clumped (earth)’;