French Republican calendar
The french republican calendar is a way of telling time that the people of France used for a little while a long time ago. Instead of using months like January and February, they had different months with different names that were all related to nature.
Let's start with the basics. Do you know how we tell time now? We use a calendar that has 12 months in it, right? Well, the french republican calendar had 12 months too. But they were different! The first month was called Vendémiaire, which meant "vintage" or "grape harvest". That's because it was the time of year when grapes were collected from the fields.
Next, there was Brumaire, which is when the leaves start to turn brown and fall off the trees. Then there was Frimaire, which is when it starts to get really cold and frosty.
After that came Nivôse, which means "snowy". That's when it's winter and there's snow on the ground. Then there was Pluviôse, which means "rainy". That's when it's raining a lot.
Next, there was Ventôse, which means "windy". That's when it's really windy outside. After that, there was Germinal, which means "bud". That's when the flowers start to come up and the trees start to get new leaves.
Then there was Floréal, which means "flower". That's when all the flowers come out and make the world look very pretty. After that came Prairial, which means "meadow". It's the time of year when all the grass and plants in the fields are growing tall and green.
Next was Messidor, which means "harvest". That's when all the farmers are working hard to collect the crops they've grown. After that came Thermidor, which is when it's really hot outside. It's the time of year when everyone wants to go swimming and cool off.
Finally, there was Fructidor, which means "fruit". That's when all the fruit on the trees and vines is ready to pick and eat.
So that's the french republican calendar! It had 12 months with funny names that were all related to nature. It's not used anymore, but it's still interesting to learn about!
Let's start with the basics. Do you know how we tell time now? We use a calendar that has 12 months in it, right? Well, the french republican calendar had 12 months too. But they were different! The first month was called Vendémiaire, which meant "vintage" or "grape harvest". That's because it was the time of year when grapes were collected from the fields.
Next, there was Brumaire, which is when the leaves start to turn brown and fall off the trees. Then there was Frimaire, which is when it starts to get really cold and frosty.
After that came Nivôse, which means "snowy". That's when it's winter and there's snow on the ground. Then there was Pluviôse, which means "rainy". That's when it's raining a lot.
Next, there was Ventôse, which means "windy". That's when it's really windy outside. After that, there was Germinal, which means "bud". That's when the flowers start to come up and the trees start to get new leaves.
Then there was Floréal, which means "flower". That's when all the flowers come out and make the world look very pretty. After that came Prairial, which means "meadow". It's the time of year when all the grass and plants in the fields are growing tall and green.
Next was Messidor, which means "harvest". That's when all the farmers are working hard to collect the crops they've grown. After that came Thermidor, which is when it's really hot outside. It's the time of year when everyone wants to go swimming and cool off.
Finally, there was Fructidor, which means "fruit". That's when all the fruit on the trees and vines is ready to pick and eat.
So that's the french republican calendar! It had 12 months with funny names that were all related to nature. It's not used anymore, but it's still interesting to learn about!
Related topics others have asked about: