Frimaire

Frimaire is the third month of the French Republican Calendar, which was in use from 1793 to 1805. It corresponds to the period from November 20 or 21 to December 19 or 20 in the Gregorian calendar. The name "Frimaire" is derived from the French word "frimas," meaning "hoarfrost," reflecting the typically cold and frosty weather of this time of year.

The Republican Calendar was introduced during the French Revolution as part of a broader effort to rationalize and secularize French society. It aimed to break away from traditional Christian dating and agricultural cycles. Each month of the Republican Calendar was divided into three ten-day weeks called décades. Frimaire, therefore, consisted of 30 days. The calendar was designed to be logical and consistent, with names for the months derived from nature and the seasons.

The days of Frimaire, like those of all Republican months, were also given specific names, usually related to agriculture, flora, or fauna associated with the season. However, the more common practice was to refer to the days by their ordinal number within the décade (e.g., the first day of the second décade). Frimaire was followed by Nivôse and preceded by Brumaire. The calendar was eventually abolished by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805, and France returned to the Gregorian calendar.