Poet Philippe François Nazaire Fabre, known as Fabre d’Eglantine (1750-1794 was given the honour of naming the months. Inspired by nature he called them:
Vendémiaire - from the Latin ‘vindemia’, grape harvest was when the new year started – in September
Brumaire - from the French ‘brume’, fog
Frimaire - from the French ‘frimas’, hoarfrost
Nivôse - from the Latin ‘nivosus’, snowy
Pluviôse - from the Latin ‘pluviosus’, rainy
Ventôse - from the Latin ‘ventosus’, windy
Germinal - from the Latin ‘germen, germinis’, bud
Floréal - from the Latin ‘floreus’, flowery
Prairial - from the French ‘prairie’, meadow
Messidor - from the Latin ‘messis’, corn harvest and the Greek ‘doron’, gift
Thermidor - from the Greek ‘thermon’ heat and the Greek ‘doron’ gift
Fructidor - from the Latin ‘fructus’, fruit and the Greek ‘doron’, gift
If you’re thinking that sounds like something from a Disney film, you’re not alone. In England, the French months were referred to as: Snowy, Flowy, Blowy, Showery, Flowery, Bowery, Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy, Breezy, Sneezy and Freezy.
Names were given to every day of the year too, based on trees, flowers, plants, animals and farm tools. For instance 12 June was Caille-lait which means bedstraw, and 2 July was Lavande (Lavender).
Confused? Yes so was your average Citoyen and Citoyenne. And worse, whereas before they had one day off in seven, now they only had one day off in ten.
It was an unwieldy and complicated system.
When Napoleon was elected Emperor he abolished the calendar from 1 January 1806 and everyone returned to the Gregorian calendar and knew what day it was again.
The French Republican Calendar