August - Respected and Impressive Quiz

Answer: Sixth

Though we now know August as being the eighth month of the calendar year, it wasn't always the case. Under the calendar created by Romulus in 753 BC, there were only ten months and August (Sextilis) was the sixth month. At the time, it also had 29 days.

King Numa Pompilius added the months of January and February around about 700 BC, thereby pushing August into the position of eighth month. When Julius Caesar created his Julian calendar in 46 BC, he added two more days to August, creating the 31 days as we know it in modern times.

The initial Roman calendar was based on a twelve month cycle, however, the two winter months were considered to be "dead" and were not shown (hence the original ten month calendar). It was Julius Caesar that prompted the change so the calendar truly reflected the Earth's revolution around the sun.

Answer: True

July and August were originally named after numbers, Quintilis, meaning fifth and Sextilis meaning sixth. This reflected the order in which they appeared on the Roman calendar which, initially, only reflected ten months. When Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar, he installed two additional months and also changed the name of Quintilis to July. He chose this month because it reflected his birth month and he chose July to honour his family name, Julius.

The latter was important because, to that time, the months generally carried the names of either gods or numbers. July bore witness to a Roman ruler's name for the first time. Rome's first Emperor, Augustus, then took it upon himself to change Sextilis to his family name.

There is a legend that was floated by the thirteenth century scholar Johannes de Sacrobosco that August was granted 31 days so that it could match the number of days in the month named after Julius Caesar but this is a pure fantasy as the month already had 31 days, before it was re-named by Augustus.

Answer: Gladiolus

Why the gladioli was selected as the birth flower for August is not clear, however, it does come with multiple meanings.

In Ancient Rome, gladiatorial contests were a match to the death. For the loser was the soil but the winner would be showered with gladioli. Also known as the "sword lily" the gladiolus was a symbol of infatuation and, to this end, the presentation of a gladioli to another, was seen as a sign that the giftee's heart had been "pierced" with infatuation.

Gladioli also come in a range of colours, which add an additional meaning: red signifying love, pink is a sign of compassion, white of innocence, yellow is joy and purple portrays grace and charm.

Answer: Poppy

Poppies can be found in most places around the world and in more than one colour. The variations in colour will also come with new meanings. It has been misunderstood because of its association with opium and the illicit drug industry. That, however, relates to a single variety of poppy, which is illegal to be grown in a number of places. Sadly, it seems to have tarnished the name for the entire family.

At the other end of the scale, the Allies after World War I adopted the red poppy as a sign of remembrance, however, this does not link it to the month of August. The flower that constitutes the August birth flower is the yellow poppy. It is a symbol of success and wealth. It is also a warm colour, portraying a sense friendship and goodwill to others.

Answer: Grain

Lammas is a harvest festival, celebrating, one of the oldest and essential food crops for most civilizations. Situated halfway between the summer solstice and the fall equinox, the celebration also marks one of the eight Wiccan sabbats that occur in the year.

There is also a symbolism here. In Ireland's early days it was considered bad form to start harvesting your grain before Lammas. The intimation here is that you'd run out of grain and, as a farmer, you had failed in your task to provide sufficient grain for the health and well-being of the community. Traditionally, come Lammas, the first sheaves of wheat would be harvested in the morning and then rushed to the mill and the bakers. By evening the first loaves of bread would have been baked and the celebration begin.

Answer: Sardonyx

As with the August birth flower, the gladiolus, the sardonyx, in days gone past has come to represent strength, particularly spiritually. To this end, it was a favourite of High Priests, and the Romans wore rings of sardonyx with the image of the god of war, Mars, engraved upon it. For the latter, this was to provide both courage and protection to the wearer in the course of battle. Today it is still associated with courage but it is also seen as adding strength and stability to a marriage.

As the name implies, the two types of cryptocrystalline quartz that make up the stone are sard and onyx. The former creates bands of brownish red to a dark orange in the stone. The onyx forms bands of black or white to create a striking overall image. India is one of the world's most prominent producers of the stone but it can also be found in places such as Brazil, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Madagascar, and Uruguay.

Answer: Peridot

With its name originating from the Arabic word for gem, faridat, the peridot was a highly prized stone in both ancient and medieval cultures. Evidence of this was found in churches of those eras, in particular, adorning chalices and the like. It was seen as a protective talisman and was said to be able to guard the wearer against evil spirits and the "terrors of the night"... what does this say about the 16th wedding anniversary?

The gem has often been confused with the topaz and the emerald over history and, possibly, the best example is the Cologne Cathedral's Shrine of the Three Kings. This has been adorned with, what was believed to be, 200 carats of emeralds, only to be identified later that they were peridots. There is also some speculation that Cleopatra's famous emerald collection may not have been all that it claimed to be and that the majority of the collection was the humble peridot.

The peridot has been mined in places such as China, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tanzania, Vietnam and the USA. They have come to the surface by either volcanic activity or embedded in meteorites that have fallen to the Earth. I suppose that's one way to redeem yourself on the 16th wedding anniversary... telling your partner that your gift is "out of this world".

Answer: Leo and Virgo

In astrology, Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac. It is said to govern the period between July 23 and August 22. It is represented by the lion and is usually linked to the Nemean lion from Greek mythology. Likewise, Virgo, the virgin, is represented by a young maiden carrying a sheaf of wheat to symbolize fertility. She governs the period from 23 August to 22 September.

So how are these dates determined? The star sign or, more accurately, sun sign is determined by where the sun sits in a particular constellation at the time of your birth. Clear as mud... another way to put this is... As the Earth moves around the sun there will come a period when each constellation is, at one point during the year, hidden behind the sun. When this constellation is "hidden" then it is deemed a star sign.

Now, this is where astronomy and astrology will differ. The star signs were identified and assigned by ancient astronomers. Those periods were then set and are abided by astrologers. Astronomers, though, will tell you that, because of the precession of the equinoxes (or the wobble in Earth's orbit) the sun is no longer in the same constellation as it was all those years ago. To put it another way... if you were born at the start of February some 3,000 years ago the sun would have been in the constellation of Aquarius. Today, the sun would have shifted to be in the constellation of Capricornus.

Answer: Funeral Games

Lugh was a supernatural being from Irish myth who is portrayed as a warrior and a master craftsman. He is linked to truth, the arts and is seen as the creator of ball games and horse races.

The festival, which bears his name, Lughnasadh is also a harvest festival. It was raised in honour of his mother Tailtiu, an earth goddess. The story told is that she died of exhaustion after having cleared the lands of Ireland and made them suitable for the growing of crops.

To accommodate the festival, a truce would be declared across the land and communities would gather to enjoy contests that were akin to the Olympic Games. Apart from the sports these events went deeper. Trial marriages were proposed, music was played, and stories were told. Disputes were settled and new laws created as a result of those resolutions. Trading was conducted and new contracts would be drawn up.

Answer: The dog days of summer

July and August represent the hottest months of the year in the northern hemisphere and this period was christened by both the Ancient Greeks and Romans as the dog days. This had nothing to do with their pet hounds collapsing in the streets or refusing to move from shady spots. It is linked to the star known as Sirius, also referred to as the "dog star".

Sirius would appear in the sky at about the start of August, right about the time that the days were at their hottest. Their theory was that the intensity of Sirius combined with the sun increased the heat levels. The Romans christened this period "dies caniculares" which translates to "days of the dog star". This was then applied to the month of August and trimmed down to "dog days".

Modern science would debunk the above as the early astronomers were not in tune with the "wobbles" of the Earth's rotations and, as a result, did not realise that Sirius would not appear in the same spot at the same time every year. Today, the dog days of summer cover a 40 day period from July 3 to August 11.