Facts for Kids

Long ago, the Romans had a different calendar. At first, April was the second month of the year. Around 450 BC, two more months were added and April became the fourth month, then it had 29 days. In the 40s BC, the leader Julius Caesar changed the calendar and added a 30th day to April.

Different peoples gave April other names. The Anglo-Saxons called it ēastre-monaþ after a goddess named Eostre, and the Romans held festivals like Cerealia, Veneralia, and Floralia. Today people still mark days such as St George’s Day on April 23 and St Mark’s Eve on April 24, which has an old superstition about seeing spirits.

April’s birthstone is the diamond, a hard, sparkling gem people often give as a special gift. Diamonds sparkle because they bend light in many directions.

The birth flowers for April are the common daisy and the sweet pea. Daisies are simple, round flowers with white petals and a yellow center. Sweet peas are smaller, fragrant flowers that come in many colors and often smell sweet. For people who like star signs, Aries runs until April 19, and Taurus begins on April 20. Star signs are a fun way people sometimes talk about when someone was born.

April is the fourth month of the year and has 30 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, April feels like spring because trees leaf out and flowers start to open. In the Southern Hemisphere, April falls during autumn and leaves may change color instead.

People long ago called the month Aprilis. One idea is that the name comes from the Latin word aperire, which means “to open.” That makes sense because many plants seem to open in April. Can you think of something that opens in spring where you live?

Movable Observances are holidays and special weeks that do not fall on the same calendar date every year. Instead, they move because they follow a weekday rule, a lunar pattern, or are set by different groups. Because of this, the exact date can change from year to year.

For example, some groups mark days in April like Youth Homelessness Matters Day (April 6 in Kiribati, shown as an example in 2021), National Park Week (April 18–26 in the United States, example 2021), and Pay It Forward Day (April 28, an international idea). These movable events let people plan around weeks or days that fit when the group wants to celebrate or raise awareness.

Many special weeks and food themes happen in April. In the United States, National Library Week celebrates libraries and includes days like National Library Workers Day and National Bookmobile Day. Health and safety events include National Public Health Week, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Crime Victims' Rights Week, and Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. Communities often hold National Volunteer Week and National Park Week to encourage helping and visiting parks.

Sport and food also appear in April. Opening Day for baseball is often in April. Food months include National Food Month, Fresh Florida Tomato Month, National Grilled Cheese Month, National Pecan Month, National Soft Pretzel Month, and National Soyfoods Month.

Non-Gregorian Observances come from calendars other than the common Gregorian calendar you use every day. Examples include holidays set by the Bahá'í, Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic, and Solar Hijri calendars. Because these calendars use different rules—like the moon or a different numbered year—their dates move compared to Gregorian April.

Many of these observances also start at sundown the night before the listed day and end at sundown on the named day. That means a holiday might begin after dark, which is an important way some cultures count a day. Can you think of a holiday that begins at night?

Fixed and Cultural Observances are celebrations that usually happen on the same calendar date each year or are traditions tied closely to a place or people. A fixed date example is April 1, which is widely known as April Fools' Day. Other observances happen in April because of local traditions, like Arbor Day in Tanzania and Cyprus National Day in Cyprus.

Some cultural observances, like Kha b-Nisan (the Assyrian spring celebration), and fun events like Edible Book Day, also fall in April. These days help communities remember history, share food, and celebrate nature and culture in ways that feel familiar.