The Romans gave this month the
Latin name but the derivation of this name is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the verb , , in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to "open", which is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of (, ) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess
Venus, her
Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month
Aphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess name
Aphrodite (
Aphros), or the
Etruscan name
Apru.
Jacob Grimm suggests the name of a hypothetical god or hero,
Aper or
Aprus. April was the second month of the earliest
Roman calendar, In
China the symbolic ploughing of the earth by the emperor and princes of the blood took place in their third month, which frequently corresponds to April. The month April originally had 30 days;
Numa Pompilius made it 29 days long; finally,
Julius Caesar's calendar reform made it 30 days long again, which was not changed in the calendar revision of
Augustus Caesar in 8 BC. In
Ancient Rome, the festival of
Cerealia was held for seven days from mid-to-late April, but exact dates are still being determined.
Feriae Latinae was also held in April, with the date varying. Other ancient Roman observances include
Veneralia (April 1),
Megalesia (April 10–16),
Fordicidia (April 15),
Parilia (April 21),
Vinalia Urbana (April 23),
Robigalia (April 25), and
Serapia (April 25).
Floralia was held April 27 during the
Republican era, or April 28 on the
Julian calendar, and lasted until May 3. However, these dates do not correspond to the modern
Gregorian calendar. The
Lyrids meteor shower appears on April 16 – April 26 each year, with the peak generally occurring on April 22. The
Eta Aquariids meteor shower also appears in April. It is visible from April 21 to May 20 each year, with peak activity on or around May 6. The
Pi Puppids appear on April 23, but only in years around the parent comet's
perihelion date. The
Virginids also shower at various dates in April. The "Days of April" () is a name assigned in French history to a
series of insurrections at Lyons, Paris and elsewhere, against the government of
Louis Philippe in 1834, which led to violent repressive measures, and to a famous trial known as the . == Symbols ==