April 2019 is the first full month of spring! We hope that your sky is bright and clear and your grass is growing green. In celebration, check out the month’s holidays, recipes, gardening tips, folklore, and a quiz!
April Calendar
This month’s name came from the Latin word aperio, meaning “to open [bud],” because plants begin to grow now.
Birthstone: Diamond. Read more about diamonds!
Birth Month Flowers: Daisy and Sweet Pea. Read about April’s birth flowers.
Spring festivals celebrate the season’s renewal of life.
- April 1 is All Fools’ Day. Where did this silly day come from?
- April 19 is Passover (beginning at sundown). What is Passover?
- April 21 is Easter Sunday. (April 28 is Orthodox Easter.) See how the Easter date is determined.
- April 22 is Earth Day. To celebrate, see some Earth Day ideas and activities.
- April 24 is the birthday of Robert B. Thomas, the founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac!
- April 26 is National Arbor Day. Find out who started Arbor Day and how we observe this day honoring trees.
Wacky Days
- Apr. 1: Sweet Potato Day
- Apr. 6: International Pillow Fight Day
- Apr. 7: National No Housework Day
- Apr. 17: Blah, Blah, Blah Day
- Apr. 21: Go Fly a Kite Day
- Apr. 26: National Richter Scale Day
- Apr. 27: National Sense of Smell Day
Note: We do not post “month” themes, only calendar days.
See our monthly calendar page for more holidays and events.
April Weather
A cold April, the bar will fill.
This month brings us some capricious weather! April rains bring verdant pastures, but also umbrellas and rain boots!
See your 7-day forecast and long-range weather forecast to plan ahead!
Recipes for the Season
Springtime brings the first crops of the season. See a few recipes below:
Cream of Fiddlehead Soup
Spring Vegetable Salad
Sorrel Linguine With Spring Peas, Green Garlic, and Fresh Ricotta
See all our Spring Recipe Collection using seasonal ingredients from across North America!
Gardening
Does the warmth of spring turn you thoughts to gardening? It does ours!
Monthly Gardening Jobs
Make a Container Gardening Planter
Plant Guides to Roses, Flowers, and Shrubs
Plant Guides to Vegetable, Herbs, Fruit
Starting Your Garden
Everyday Advice
Are you daunted by the thought of a top-to-bottom spring cleaning? Here are some tips to help.
Make Your Own Cleaners
Homemade Cleaners for Carpet, Floor, Glass, Drains
Fix House Problems
Credit: Kazoka/Shutterstock
Birds & Fishing
Enjoy the signs of spring!
Creating a Bird-Friendly Habitat
Listen to Bird Sounds
Best Fishing Days for April
Eye on the Sky
Moon Phases for April 2019
New Moon: April 5, at 4:50 a.m. EDT
First Quarter: April 12, at 3:06 p.m. EDT
Full Pink Moon: April 19, at 7:12 a.m. EDT
Last Quarter: April 26, at 6:18 p.m. EDT
See what’s special about the Full Moon for April.
April’s 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
See answer below!
Rhyme Time
April cold with dripping rain
Willows and lilacs brings again,
The whistle of returning birds,
And trumpet-lowing of the herds.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82)
Oh, how fresh the wind is blowing!
See! The sky is bright an clear,
Oh, how green the grass is growing!
April! April! Are you here?
–Dora R. Goodale (1866–1953)
ANSWER TO QUIZ: C, on May 10, 1869. (A. April 19, 1775; B. April 28, 1789; D. April 11–17, 1970)
Reader Comments
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A cold April, the bar will fill
Thanks for a good chuckle. While I believe the saying is "A cold April, the barn will fill", I can picture the owners of local watering holes checking the Almanac for upcoming cold days and getting their stock ready for the influx of chilly patrons.
I rather like the updated version.
Love OFA
It makes me so happy to read Old Farmer's Almanac. Thank you!!
Thank YOU!
for taking a moment to let us know! We appreciate YOU—and that’s no foolin!
Thanks.
Great information. I really love The Old Farmer's Almanac.
You made our day!
Today and every day! Thank you, Chris!
You have packed so much into
You have packed so much into this site. It is really wonderful to read all of the topics each month. Thank you for sharing all of your insight. We will definitely be back to see more in the future.
Good to see this category
Good to see this category back!
I like that the topics are focused on a monthly collection.
Thank you!