On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article january birthday cake. This article is about the month. January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year’s Day.

Ancient Roman observances during this month include Cervula and Juvenalia, celebrated January 1, as well as one of three Agonalia, celebrated January 9, and Carmentalia, celebrated January 11. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar. Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology. Traditionally, the original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months totaling 304 days, winter being considered a month-less period. However, medieval calendars were still displayed in the Roman fashion with twelve columns from January to December. In Slovene, it is traditionally called prosinec.

January’s birthstone is the garnet, which represents constancy. Its birth flower is the cottage pink Dianthus caryophyllus or galanthus as well as the traditional carnation. In Finnish, the month of tammikuu means the heart of the winter and because the name literally means “oak moon”, it can be inferred that the oak tree is the heart of the grand forest with many valuable trees as opposed to the typical Arctic forests, which are typically pine and spruce. The photograph of a large tree covered with ice against a blue sky is a familiar scene during Finland’s winter.