January - easy reading

This is the first month of the year. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors, because January is the door into the new year. Janus was also the god of beginnings. In January, we look back at the old year and we look forward to the new year.

January is usually the coldest month of the year and we sometimes have snow. It gets dark soon after 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Not much grows in the garden at this time of year but you might see some snowdrops (small white flowers) by the end of the month.

​January 1st is New Year’s Day, the first day of the new year, and it’s a national holiday. People usually relax at home or they go out for a walk with friends or family if the weather is nice. People often make New Year’s resolutions, such as lose weight, read more books, start a new hobby or give up smoking.

The evening of January 5th is Twelfth Night. In the past, it was the twelfth day of Christmas celebrations. Some people say it’s bad luck to leave Christmas decorations up after Twelfth Night so a lot of people take all their decorations down on this day.

The third Monday in January is sometimes called Blue Monday, the saddest day of the year! The weather is often bad, the excitement of Christmas has gone, the credit card bill has arrived, we’ve put on weight over the holidays and we have broken our New Year’s resolutions. Also, it's Monday, it's cold and it's dark outside!

January 25th is Burns Night. This is the birthday of Robert Burns, a famous poet from Scotland, who lived over 200 years ago. This is celebrated more in Scotland but also sometimes in England, especially by Scottish people who live here. People eat haggis, which is like a big sausage, and they also read the poetry of Robert Burns.


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