FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE  

       Gemstone; Pearl.

                                                                                    Flower; Rose.

June is the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere, it is the 6th month of the year and it takes its name from the Roman goddess 'Juno' who was the goddess of marriage. It is for this reason that June has always been considered as the best month in the year in which to get married hence the old saying;

Married in the month of roses

Married life will be one long honeymoon.

The Anglo-Saxon name for this month was 'Sera month' meaning dry month.

The flower of the month the red rose was a symbol for love and still is, it was traditionally worn on St Georges day and Midsummer's Eve and it is to be found on the England Rugby players shirts and also on the Royal coat of arms.

The red rose became the emblem for England after the War's of the Roses, the English civil wars, that took place between the royal houses of Lancaster whose emblem was the Red rose and the royal house of York whose emblem was the White rose. The wars took place between 1455 & 1487 lasting thirty two years, the final battle took place on Bosworth Field in Leicestershire, where King Henry V11 the first Tudor monarch, defeated Richard 111 in 1485.

The Badge Of The Royal House
Of Lancaster.

The Badge Of The Royal House
Of York.

   

The War of the Roses saw the end of both badges and on the wedding day of Henry V11 and Catherine of Aragon the houses of York And Lancaster were joined together to create the House of Tudor.

The Tudor Rose.

 
                                      
                                                                          Superstitions.                                             

Midsummers Day comes after the longest day and it is a time that was associated with witches,magic and fairies. On the eve of Midsummer's Day villages all over the country would light bonfires in praise of the sun, this was because the days were becoming shorter and they believed that the sun was dying, so these large bonfires were lit to try to strengthen the sun.
 Roses were also of special importance on Midsummer's Eve because it was said that any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve or Midsummer's Day would keep fresh until Christmas.

At midnight on Midsummer's Eve, young girls would scatter rose petals before them and say;

Rose leaves, rose leaves,

Rose leaves I strew.

He that will love me

Come after me now.

Then on the next day, Midsummer's Day, their true love would call.

The Longest Day.

The longest day of the year is 21st of June. It is the day when the sun is at it's most northerly point and this is why it is the longest day.

In Wiltshire, there is a huge circle of stones called Stonehenge, they have stood there for thousands of years and no one knows how they came to be there, many theory’s have been put forward but they still remain a mystery. They play a big part in the religious festival by the Druids who were Celts and they worshiped the changes of the seasons and nature and especially the sun.

Celtic Wheel Of The Year.

Stonehenge.

Other Notable Dates.

2nd of June; Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11.

6th of June; D Day. In 1944 the coast of France was invaded by the Allies in the Second World War.

12th of June; The Queen's Official Birthday.

15th of June; King John signed the Magna Carta.

18th of June; The Battle of Waterloo.

24th of June; Midsummer Day also the feast of St. John the Baptist.

Weather-lore.

Country folk had many sayings about the weather as always these sayings were based on the observations of the weather over hundreds of years and still can be relied upon even to day.

'A calm June puts the farmer in tune'

'June damp and warm, does the farmer no harm'.

It is said that the Summer doesn't start until

the elder is in flower.

Look out for next months facts, superstitions, myths and legends.