February

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February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the leap day. February is the third and last month of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, February is the third and last month of meteorological summer, being the seasonal equivalent of August in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pronunciation

"February" can be pronounced in several different ways. The beginning of the word is commonly pronounced either as Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell or Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; many people drop the first "r", replacing it with Template:IPAc-en, as if it were spelled "Febuary". This comes about by analogy with "January" (Template:IPAc-en), as well as by a dissimilation effect whereby having two "r"s close to each other causes one to change.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite LPD</ref> The ending of the word is pronounced Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell in the US and Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell in the UK.

History

File:Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry février.jpg

February, from the Template:Lang

File:Februar Leandro Bassano.jpg

February, Leandro Bassano

The Roman month Template:Lang was named after the Latin term Template:Lang, which means "purification", via the purification ritual Template:Lang held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period of the year. They were added by Numa Pompilius about 713 BC. February remained the last month of the calendar year until the time of the decemvirs (Template:Circa), when it became the second month. At certain times February was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month, Intercalaris, was occasionally inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the seasons.

February observances in Ancient Rome included Amburbium (precise date unknown), Sementivae (February 2), Februa (February 13–15), Lupercalia (February 13–15), Parentalia (February 13–22), Quirinalia (February 17), Feralia (February 21), Caristia (February 22), Terminalia (February 23), Regifugium (February 24), and Agonium Martiale (February 27). These days do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, Intercalaris was abolished, leap years occurred regularly every fourth year, and in leap years February gained a 29th day. Thereafter, it remained the second month of the calendar year, meaning the order that months are displayed (January, February, March, ..., December) within a year-at-a-glance calendar. Even during the Middle Ages, when the numbered Anno Domini year began on March 25 or December 25, the second month was February whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The Gregorian calendar reforms made slight changes to the system for determining which years were leap years, but also contained a 29-day February.

Historical names for February include the Old English terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kale-monath (named for cabbage) as well as Charlemagne's designation Hornung. In Finnish, the month is called Template:Lang, meaning "month of the pearl"; when snow melts on tree branches, it forms droplets, and as these freeze again, they are like pearls of ice. In Polish and Ukrainian, respectively, the month is called Template:Lang or Template:Lang (Template:Transliteration), meaning the month of ice or hard frost. In Macedonian the month is Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang), meaning month of cutting (wood). In Czech, it is called Template:Lang, meaning month of submerging (of river ice).

In Slovene, February is traditionally called Template:Lang, related to icicles or Candlemas.<ref name="KoledarDPG2007">Template:Citation</ref> This name originates from Template:Lang,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> written as Template:Lang in the New Carniolan Almanac from 1775 and changed to its final form by Franc Metelko in his New Almanac from 1824. The name was also spelled Template:Lang, meaning "the month of cutting down of trees".<ref name="KoledarDPG2007" /> In 1848, a proposal was put forward in Kmetijske in rokodelske novice by the Slovene Society of Ljubljana to call this month Template:Lang (related to ice melting), but it did not stick. The idea was proposed by a priest, Blaž Potočnik.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Another name of February in Slovene was Template:Lang, after the mythological character Vesna.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Patterns

File:Valentines Day Chocolates from 2005.jpg

Chocolates for St. Valentine's Day

Having only 28 days in common years, February is the only month of the year that can pass without a single full moon. Using Coordinated Universal Time as the basis for determining the date and time of a full moon, this last happened in 2018 and will next happen in 2037.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same is true regarding a new moon: again using Coordinated Universal Time as the basis, this last happened in 2014 and will next happen in 2033.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

February is also the only month of the calendar that, at intervals alternating between one of six years and two of eleven years, has exactly four full 7-day weeks. In countries that start their week on a Monday, it occurs as part of a common year starting on Friday, in which February 1st is a Monday and the 28th is a Sunday; the most recent occurrence was 2021, and the next one will be 2027. In countries that start their week on a Sunday, it occurs in a common year starting on Thursday; the most recent occurrence was 2015 and the next occurrence will be 2026. The pattern is broken by a skipped leap year, but no leap year has been skipped since 1900 and no others will be skipped until 2100.

Astronomy

February meteor showers include the Alpha Centaurids (appearing in early February), the March Virginids (lasting from February 14 to April 25, peaking around March 20), the Delta Cancrids (appearing December 14 to February 14, peaking on January 17), the Omicron Centaurids (late January through February, peaking in mid-February), Theta Centaurids (January 23 – March 12, only visible in the southern hemisphere), Eta Virginids (February 24 and March 27, peaking around March 18), and Pi Virginids (February 13 and April 8, peaking between March 3 and March 9).

Symbols

File:1760 - Salzburg - Stiftskirche St Peter - Viola.JPG

The violet

White and mauve primroses

Purple Siberian iris

Amethyst crystals

The zodiac signs of February are Aquarius (until February 18) and Pisces (February 19 onward).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Its birth flowers are the violet (Viola), the common primrose (Primula vulgaris),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Iris.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its birthstone is the amethyst, which symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom, and sincerity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Observances

This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor general observance.

Month-long

In Catholic tradition, February is the Month of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
American Heart Month (United States)
Black History Month (United States, Canada)
National Bird-Feeding Month (United States)
National Children's Dental Health Month (United States)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Season for Nonviolence: January 30 – April 4 (International observance)
Turner Syndrome Awareness Month (United States)
LGBT History Month (United Kingdom, Ireland)

Non-Gregorian

(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)