What can I say about April, that hasn’t already been said? Only that I love April, its idiosyncrasies and quirks. April is a much-needed reprieve from a long and gloomy winter, and takes its place as unique in this iconic poem:
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except February, twenty-eight days clear,
And twenty-nine in each leap year.
I can talk endlessly about this glorious month:
April is named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she was also honoured as a goddess of war, especially at Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus.
Aphrodite features widely in Greek mythology, in which Hesiods’ Theogony refers to her origin, which was said to be from aphros, the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. Don’t blame me for this grim scenario—it’s all based on the documented annals of Greek mythology.
An aphrodisiac, which is a word we use today, is one of the substances alleged to increase sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. These substances range from a variety of plants such as yohimbine and the mandrake plant. Substances such as ground rhinoceros’ horn in the Chinese culture and “Spanish fly”, the insect which is the source of terpenoid cantharidin, a toxic blistering agent once used as an exfoliating agent and anti-rheumatic drug are also known as aphrodisiacs.
Even in today’s culture, there are certain foods that are used as aphrodisiacs, including strawberries and raw oysters. Chocolate, coffee, and honey are also believed to have aphrodisiac potential, although there is little or no scientific confirmation supporting those beliefs.
Who is Aphrodite?
Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty. Like her Roman counterpart Venus, she was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility and occasionally presided over marriage ceremonies.
The name for the month of April originally came from Aprilis which means to open.
- Bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season, which have begun to open into the strengthening sunlight.
- Small animals that hibernate are usually coming out of their burrows in April, in other words, into the open.
- It’s the first month of the year in which people open their windows and doors and let the warm spring breezes in.
In our part of the world, April is the beginning of spring planting time.
It is also in April that birds fly back northward and settle down to have their families.
The birth flowers for the month of April are the sweet pea and the daisy.
The birthstone for April is the diamond.
The zodiac signs for April are Aries (March 21 – April 19) and Taurus (April 20-May 20). My son and my daughter are both born under the sign of Taurus.
Taureans love luxury. They enjoy relaxing in serene, bucolic environments, surrounded by soft sounds, soothing aromas, and succulent flavors. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the enchanting planet that governs love, beauty, and money. Taurus’ Venusian influence make this earth sign the most sensual of the zodiac.
The origin of April Fools Day
Who couldn’t use a good laugh right about now? Coming up just in time on the heels of a gloomy and long winter is April, the Humor Month, so laugh it up.
April Fools’ Day is like a huge open mic night: Believe nothing and trust no one this whimsical day.
Millions of people go out of their way to demonstrate how unfunny they are. Here are some examples of this:
Why can April jump so high? It’s spring!
What’s one bone a prankster doesn’t want to break on April Fools’ Day? The humerus.
What’s the April Fools’ lucky card in the deck? The Joker.
What do you call a realistic prankster? A practical joker.
And now for the unforgivable, but irresistible PUN!
What do you say when it’s raining chickens and ducks on April Fools’ Day? It’s fowl spring weather.
Why do eggs like April Fools’ Day? They love practical yolks.
A and C were going to prank their friend … but they just letter B.
What monster plays the most April Fools’ jokes? Prankenstein.
Did you hear about the guy who swapped the labels on the pumps at the gas station? It was an April Fuels’ joke.
Now do you believe me when I tell you that April has idiosyncrasies and quirks?
Poet and writer Hal Borland said, “No Winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn. April is a promise that May is bound to keep, and we know it.”
Sara Teasdale said in April Poem, “And with a windy April grace / The little clouds go by … I could not be so sure of Spring / save that it sings in me”
Robert Browning wrote home about it in:
Home Thoughts, From Abroad
“Oh, to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some mourning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England — now!” —
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about it in An April Day,
When the warm sun, that brings
Seed-time and harvest, has returned again,
‘T is sweet to visit the still wood, where springs
The first flower of the plain.
And here is my favorite take on April, by Edna St. Vincent Milay:
“April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.”
It is a great relief to welcome April this year! Winter clutched at us through March, making many days white and fierce. But now the sun is warming the bare earth, as the last of the snow retreats. It feels wonderful!
I agree, Maggie. Our winter hasn’t been horrendous here, but still…lots of wet and cold! I’m so happy that spring is here! That goes for most of us, I’m sure!
And how about Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales? Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote (When April with its sweet showers has pierced the drought of March to the root….) I still remember my English 200 prof at UBC reading this in a very good imitation of “Old English.” Nice April post, Diane.
I remember Chaucer, although I don’t recall this particular Tale. University professors were well schooled in imitating Old English—they seemed to thrive on it!
A glorious post – you begin with a photograph that sums it all up and follow with a varied, informative, and entertaining treatise on the month
Thank you for this, Derrick! Your blog has always been an inspiration to me—longstanding, and packed with information and wonderful commentary.
Sorry to be a downer, but there are downsides to April here. You can’t win them all. Too funny.
So true, CM! If it’s not one thing, it’s another!
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