神 = god
無 = not
月 = month
The modern Japanese word for October is 十月 (literally “10th Month), however in the old-fashioned calendar it was known as 神無月, or “the month with no gods”.
In October, all the gods in Japan (there are believed to be 8 million of them) go to Izumo Shrine in Shimane Prefecture for a meeting, thus leaving most of Japan with no gods.
