Mensis September in Latin means “the seventh month.” It was named before January and February were added to the beginning of the old Roman calendar. After it became the ninth month, people still wanted to call it September, so the name stuck.
In September, the days and nights are roughlyequal in length, so the month was associated with balance. That might be why Romans spent about half the month just taking it easy. The temperatures were cool and the harvest was mostly done. That meant people could relax, attend sports events, and just take a load off. That’s exactly what they did every year during the Ludi Romani , or the Roman Games, the country’s oldest sporting tradition.
The festival was held in honor ofthe king of the gods, Jupiter. The games began in 509 BCE as a celebration of militaryvictory. At first, they lasted only a few days, but by the late 4th century CE, the number of days had increased to 16. They included wrestling, chariot races, gladiator fights, dancing, music, and theater. In the middle of the month, there was also a great feast to honorthe gods, especially Jupiter, his wife Juno, and his daughter Minerva. For people in ancient Rome, September was one of the most enjoyablemonths of the year.
