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April

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April is the fourth month of the year, and comes between March and May. It is one of four months to have 30 days.

April always begins on the same day of week as July, and additionally, January in leap years. April always ends on the same day of the week as December.

April's flowers are the Sweet Pea and Daisy. Its birthstone is the diamond. The meaning of the diamond is innocence.

The Month

Spring flowers in April in the Northern Hemisphere.

April comes between March and May, making it the fourth month of the year. It also comes first in the year out of the four months that have 30 days, as June, September and November are later in the year.

April begins on the same day of the week as July every year and on the same day of the week as January in leap years. April ends on the same day of the week as December every year, as each other's last days are exactly 35 weeks (245 days) apart.

In common years, April starts on the same day of the week as October of the previous year, and in leap years, May of the previous year. In common years, April finishes on the same day of the week as July of the previous year, and in leap years, February and October of the previous year. In common years immediately after other common years, April starts on the same day of the week as January of the previous year, and in leap years and years immediately after that, April finishes on the same day of the week as January of the previous year.

In years immediately before common years, April starts on the same day of the week as September and December of the following year, and in years immediately before leap years, June of the following year. In years immediately before common years, April finishes on the same day of the week as September of the following year, and in years immediately before leap years, March and June of the following year.

April is a spring month in the Northern Hemisphere and an autumn/fall month in the Southern Hemisphere. In each hemisphere, it is the seasonal equivalent of October in the other.

It is unclear as to where April got its name. A common theory is that it comes from the Latin word "aperire", meaning "to open", referring to flowers opening in spring. Another theory is that the name could come from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. It was originally the second month in the old Roman Calendar, before the start of the new year was put to January 1.

Quite a few festivals are held in this month. In many Southeast Asian cultures, new year is celebrated in this month (including Songkran). In Western Christianity, Easter can be celebrated on a Sunday between March 22 and April 11. In Orthodox Christianity, it can fall between April 4 and May 8. At the end of the month, Central and Northern European cultures celebrate Walpurgis Night on April 30, marking the transition from winter into summer.

April in poetry

Poets use April to mean the end of winter. For example: April rains bring May tulips.

Events in April

Fixed Events

An April Fools' Day hoax for April 1 in Copenhagen.
Songkran celebration in Thailand around April 14.
Proposed flag for Earth Day on April 22.
Saint George's Day on April 23 in London's Trafalgar Square.
ANZAC Day commemoration in Australia on April 25.
Queen's Day, April 30, celebration in the Netherlands. It changed to King's Day, April 27, in 2014.
Walpurgis Night bonfire on April 30 in Sweden.

Moveable Events

Eggs celebrating Easter, which often falls in April, but sometimes falls in March.
Image traditionally showing it as raining in April in the Northern Hemisphere.

Selection of Historical Events

Inauguration celebration for Nunavut on April 1, 1999.
A statue on Easter Island - Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to land there on April 5, 1722.
Newspaper report on the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.
Fires after the San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906.
Australian and New Zealand forces landing at Anzac Cove, April 25, 1915.
Painting showing the Mutiny on the Bounty on April 28, 1789.
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who abdicated the throne on her 71st birthday, April 30, 1980.

Trivia

Elizabeth II is one of six current European monarchs to have been born in April.

References

Months of the Year

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

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