July is the seventh
monthThe month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately 29.53 days...
of the
yearA year is the amount of time it takes the Earth to make one revolution around the Sun...
in the
Gregorian CalendarThe Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas...
and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere (where it is the second month of
summerSummer is one of the four temperate seasons, marked by the time of year with the longest days, and lies between spring and autumn. The seasons are popularly considered to start on different dates in different cultures based on astronomy and regional meteorology. When it is summer in the southern...
) and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere. The second half of the year commences in July. The birthstone for July is a red ruby.
In the Northern hemisphere:
- Dog days
The phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer", Latin: Caniculae, Caniculares dies, refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere they usually fall between early July and early September. In the Southern hemisphere they are usually between January and early March...
begin in early July, when the hot sultry weather of summer usually starts.
- Summer school
Summer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....
is under way for many students.
- Spring lambs, born in late winter or early spring, are usually sold before July 1st.
July was renamed for
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar , , was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, who was born in that month. Previously, it was called
QuintilisIn the 10-month Roman calendar, Quintilis is after Junius, and Quintilis is Latin for "fifth" from the phrase "quintilis mensis" . Quintilis was the former Latin name for the fifth month in the Roman calendar that occurred after Junius and before Sextilis...
in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
, since it was the fifth month in the ancient
Roman calendarThe Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. This article generally discusses the early Roman or pre-Julian calendars...
, before January became the first month of the calendar year (the year when displayed as twelve months in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC. In the ancient Roman calendar the
idesIdes may refer to:* Ides, a day in the Roman calendar that marked the approximate middle of the month. Specifically, this may refer to the Ides of March* Saint Ides, an Irish saint...
of July fell on the 15th day of the month.
July starts on the same day of the week as
AprilApril is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
every year, and
JanuaryJanuary is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day...
in leap years.
Events in July
- Tanabata
is a Japanese star festival, derived from the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi ．It celebrates the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi . The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh...
, a Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese traditional seasonal "make-a-wish" celebration, July 7
- The traditional period known as "fence month" (the closed season for deer in England) ended July 9 (date varied)
- End of the Trinity term
Trinity term is the name of the third and final term of Oxford University's and Dublin University's academic year. It runs from about mid April to about the end of June and is named after Trinity Sunday, which falls eight weeks after Easter, in May or June....
(sitting of the High Court of Justice of England) July 31
- Elections of Japanese House of Councillors
The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers, the Japanese equivalent of the British House of Lords. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or...
, replacing half of its seats, held every three years (the latest one in 2007The for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 29, 2007. This was the only time Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had faced an election...
).
- The Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
is played in the middle of July on a Tuesday. The days surrounded the All-Star Game, Monday and Wednesday are the only days in a calendar yearGenerally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
where there are no Major Sport games being played.
Holidays in July
- Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is Canada's national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the 1 July 1867 enactment of the British North America Act, which united Canada as a single country, which was in turn composed of four provinces...
(formerly Dominion DayDominion Day is or was a commemoration day of the granting of national status in various Commonwealth countries.-Canada:Dominion Day was the original Anglophone name of the holiday that commemorated the formation of the Dominion of Canada on 1 July 1867...
) July 1
- Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative...
in Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
July 1
- Independence Day in Somalia
Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
, July 1
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
July 3
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in the United States of America July 4
- Independence Day in Venezuela, July 5
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
July 5
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
July 9
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in Bahamas July 10
- 12th July (Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thrones - the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William, who had deposed James in 1688...
) and (Orangemen's DayOrange walks are a series of parades held annually by members of the Orange Order during the summer in Northern Ireland, to a lesser extent in Scotland, and occasionally in England, the Republic of Ireland, and throughout the Commonwealth...
) in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
- Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is called Fête Nationale in official parlance, or more commonly le quatorze juillet ....
July 14
- Marine Day
, known as 'Ocean Day' or 'Sea Day' or 'Marine Day', is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in July. Many people take advantage of the holiday and summer weather to take a beach trip...
, a holiday in Japan on the third Monday.
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
July 20
- Foundation Day in Cleveland July 22
- Revolution Day in Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
July 23
- Pioneer Day in Utah
Utah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
July 24
- Constitution Day (Occupation Day) in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico celebrates all the official holidays of the United States, and a large number of other which are official holidays established by the Commonwealth government....
July 25
- Feast of St. James July 25
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in MaldivesThe Maldives , or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching along north-south direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago...
July 26
- Independence Day in Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
July 28
- Foundation Day in Baltimore July 30
- Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries honor their respective independence day as...
in VanuatuVanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean...
, July 30
July symbols
- July's birthstone is the ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
which symbolizes contentment.
- Its birth flower is the Larkspur
Larkspur may refer to:* Larkspur, California* Larkspur, Colorado* Larkspur radio system, used by the British Army* Delphinium, a genus of 300 flowers with widespread nativity* Consolida, a genus of 40 flowers native to central and western Eurasia...
or the Water LilyThe phrase water lily is used to describe aquatic plants of the following families:* Nymphaeaceae* Nelumbonaceae, also called lotus.Other uses:* Water Lilies, a famous painting series by Claude Monet....
.
- The horoscopes are Cancer (astrology)
Cancer is the fourth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the precession of the equinoxes. In astrology, Cancer is considered a "feminine", negative sign. It is...
and Leo (astrology)Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Leo. In astrology, Leo is considered to be a "masculine", positive sign. It is also considered a fire sign and is one of four fixed signs. Leo is ruled by the Sun...
.
External links