April: Holidays, fun facts, and everything else you should know
By April, spring has finally sprung and with any luck, the weather will reflect that! Here’s to hoping your sky is bright and clear and your grass is growing green. In celebration, check out the month’s holidays, recipes, gardening tips, and folklore!
The month of April
The month of April gets its name from the Latin word aperio, meaning “to open [bud],” because plants really begin to grow now.
April quiz
Which event did not happen in April?
A. “Shot heard ’round the world”/Battles of Lexington and Concord
B. Mutiny on the HMS Bounty
C. First transcontinental railroad completed at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory
D. Harrowing flight of Apollo 13
April astronomy
April’s full pink moon will rise on the night of Monday, April 26, reaching peak illumination at 11:33 p.m. Eastern. This full moon is one of two supermoons this year.
April’s moon phases are as follows:
• First quarter: Apr. 20, 3 a.m. EST
• Full moon: Apr. 26, 11:33 p.m. EST
April’s birth flowers
April’s birth flowers are the daisy and the sweet pea! By April, spring is in full swing, and these birth month flowers are ready to express its happy plans and intrigues.
The daisy conveys innocence, loyal love, and purity. Yet, the daisy is also a flower given between friends to keep a secret; the daisy means “I’ll never tell!”
The other April flower is the sweet pea. With their lovely scent, sweet peas are a lovely flower to grow.
While sweet peas may signify blissful pleasure, they are also used to say good bye. Perhaps Shakespeare had sweet peas in mind when he wrote the immortal words: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
April’s birthstone
The April birthstone is the diamond. This gem is a symbol of everlasting love. Read on to learn more about the hardest gemstone on Earth.
Although often colorless, diamonds also may appear in yellow, brown, red, pink, orange, blue, or green, from pale to intense; the more saturated the hue, the more valuable the stone.
The blue Hope Diamond, once owned by the kings of France and now displayed in the Smithsonian, is a famous example.
The diamond, composed solely of carbon, is the hardest gemstone and can be cut only by another diamond. Diamonds form about 90 miles deep in Earth at tremendous pressure.
It is believed that the first engagement ring that contained a diamond was given in 1477 by Archduke Maximilian of Austria to his fiancee, Mary of Burgundy. Today, diamonds are the most popular choice of stone for an engagement ring.
In Sanskrit, the diamond is called “vajra,” which also means lightning; in Hindu mythology. Vajra was the weapon of Indra, the king of gods.
The largest known diamond is 2,500 miles wide and weighs approximately 10 billion trillion trillion carats.
A crystallized white dwarf star, it is located in the constellation Centaurus, about 50 light-years from Earth. It is nicknamed “Lucy,” after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”
Diamond symbolizes everlasting love. It was also once thought to protect against poison.
Astrology
March’s Zodiac signs are Aries (April 1 to April 19) and Taurus (April 20 to April 30).
Aries people will have a positive month. The position of planets will have a positive impact on your courage and communication. You will be able to win all your battles this month. However, you must be very careful about your actions, as your passion can make you too bold, causing some challenges. You may even find yourself getting recognition at work and making some professional achievements. The planets will give you great gains and will protect your career. Your hard work and determination will bring a huge inflow of wealth, your speech will be sweet this month, and you will get some very good comforts and luxury and will have a good month overall. Health can be good as long as you eat properly and take good rest. Students will also have a good month.
Taurus people will have a great month, with visible development in their relationships, career, health, and wealth. The planetary position will have a favorable impact on your self-development and even career. You will shine like a diamond this month. You can get a foreign-related job if you are trying for foreign projects. You must be careful of your speech and communication. Do not use harsh words against anyone. You may become spiritual this month. Planets will also have a great spiritual impact on you. Many positive things are present in your destiny, which can help you succeed this month. You may travel abroad for work and travel to many pilgrimage sites to grow spiritually.
Quiz answer
C., First transcontinental railroad completed at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory. The “shot heard round the world” happened April 19, 1775; mutiny on the HMS Bounty happened April 28, 1789; and the harrowing flight of Apollo 13 took place April 11-17, 1970.