Fun Facts about the Month of October

Hello October

• The name of the month of October comes from the Latin “octō”, meaning “eight”, because in the Roman calendar October was the eight month of the year. With the adding of January and February at the beginning of the calendar after the Julian calendar reform, October became the tenth month of the year, as we know it today.

• The Anglo-Saxons called October “Wintirfyllith”, meaning “fullness of winter” because it had the first full moon of the winter season.

• Another fun fact about October is that, according to folklore, if the deer have a gray coat in this month you should expect a hard winter.

• The holiday of Halloween, celebrated in October, comes from “All Hallows’ Eve” or the night before “All Hallows” day (“All Saints” day) as in old English “hallow” means “to sanctify”.

• The zodiac signs for October are Libra (September 23 – October 22) and Scorpio (October 23 – November 21).

Famous people born in October include Angela Lansbury, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Julie Andrews, Hugh Jackman, Katy Perry, Alfred Nobel, Anne Rice, Arthur Miller, Auguste Lumière, Friedrich Nietzsche, Christopher Columbus, Johannes Vermeer, John Keets.

• The birthstones for October are the tourmaline and the opal. Tourmalines display a wide spectrum of colors, such as yellow, pink, blue, red, green, black or brown and they are believed to help you stay calm under pressure, bring peace and tranquility and defeat emotions like anger and jealousy. Opals exhibit different colors (green, white, yellow, blue, pink etc.) depending on the conditions under which they were created. Opal gemstones are believed to cure eye infections, strengthen memory, calm nerves and enhance creativity.

• The traditional flower of the month of October is the calendula, symbolizing comfort, healing, protection and grace.

• Special holidays in October include Halloween (October 31st), Columbus day (the second Monday of October), Yom Kippur, Diwali, International Peace Day (October 2nd).