Fun And Interesting February Facts: The Shortest Month In A Year

According to Gregorian and Julian calendars (which the world presently follows), February is the second month of the year, succeeded by January.

Normally, February has only 28 days, once in a while or if we may add it, rarely, this month gets one extra day, 29 days, this occurrence is typically termed the leap day and the year in which this event occurs is called the leap year.

February also possesses another quality of being the first of the five months to not contain 31 days and holds the record of being the only month to have less than 30 days.

This shortest month of the year is named after a peculiar Latin word called 'februum', which in English translates to 'purification'. In meteorological winter, February stands at two places, third and last in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the meteorological summer, you can see February being in the third and the last month.

February month in addition to being the shortest month of the year, contains a rich and diverse history behind its name and the number of days. Collectively, the month of February is not as mediocre-looking a month as one might think.

Historical Facts

Ancient Romans were of the belief that winters were the month with fewer periods. Consequently, the last two months to be added were January and February in the Roman calendar.

The person responsible for adding these two months to the Roman calendar was Numa Pompilius in the year 713 BC. Only after the time of decemvirs did February become the second month of the year.

Some of the medieval and historical names given to February are Solmonath (meaning 'mud month') and Kale-month (meaning 'cabbage').

February is also called the 'month of pearl', or 'helmikku'. The reason behind this unique name is simple: during this time of the year the process of melting and freezing of snow can be witnessed, and they explain that it is just like pearls of ice.

February is known by incredibly different names in many languages, each representing the symbolic significance the month holds. This particular month is known to be the only month that can pass without witnessing a single full moon.

However, February holds one of the beautiful meteor showers in its duration, Beta Leonids and Alpha Centaurids being one of them. In astrology, it holds the western zodiac signs Aquarius and Pisces.

• The birthstone of February is amethyst!
• February is also known to be Black History Month.
• February 1 is considered the start of Black History Month and is the National Freedom Day.
• On February 1 of 1865, the 13th Amendment was officially approved which abolished slavery.
• Most of the Saxons offered cakes to their gods in the month of February.
• This is a rather unfortunate fact, February also holds the infamous record of being one of the most misspelled words in the language of English!
• The misspelling was so widespread that even the White House made a mistake in the print pronouncing ‘February’ before a press release!
• The length of February was only finalized when the emperor Julius Caesar ordered the Roman calendar to be remade and assigned properly.
• February was officially added to the Roman calendar year in 713 BC!
• Another mind-blowing fact about the month is that the 29th is so rare that it occurs only every four years!
• February 12 also happens to be the birthdate of the 16th president of America, Abraham Lincoln!
• If you are one of the February born, then your flower is a beautiful primrose!

Highlights Of February

The second month of the year is February and is often overshadowed by the first month of the year, January. Yes, that is right, January is often regarded as being the month of beginning and of starting anything new.

However, if you really think about it, February is much better compared to January. Most people love this month for so many reasons.

February accompanies Groundhog Day, Dark Chocolate Day, and the most famous and widely celebrated Valentine's Day. The month is not only restricted to these days, you can witness so many crazy fun holidays and funky days, which you soon get to know about.

The month of February in the year 2021 witnessed major events like the spike of the coronavirus and the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Indian cities like Delhi and Haryana saw internet blocks due to farmers protest, events occurred in Myanmar pertaining to its coup.

Holidays In February

The month of February holds significance and at the same time, you will also get to experience some of the best holidays of the season. Since February is the shortest month of the year, you can work less. That is one of the advantages of this awesome month.

Of course, it is also the last month of the winter, now you can stop being cozy all the time and actually look mighty forward to the beginning of spring and what is to come. And well, this goes without saying, February also happens to be the month of love.

This month basically has all the reasons to be celebrated.

Here's the list of celebrations the February month in 2022 has!

Groundhog Day: February 2

Lincoln’s birthday: February 12

Valentine’s Day: February 14

Presidents' Day: February 21

Fun Facts About February

Of course one can agree that February is indeed the shortest month of the year but it is definitely not short in possessing some crazy interesting facts. So here is the list of these fascinating fun facts pertaining to this amazing month!

• February ends on the same day of the week as October, every year!
• Some of the famous people born in February are Rosa Parks, Bob Marley, and Tony Robbins!
• Apart from having its own flower and birthstone, February also possesses its very own theme colors, and most often than not they are yellow and purple!
• Thomas Edison and Charles Darwin are some of the famous scientists to be born in the month of February.
• February 5 is World Nutella Day!
• Mexicans also observe their National Flag Day on February 24.
• This is the only month that has variable dates depending on the year. In leap years, this month, the month before the third month, has an extra day, and other years which do not leap years, it has a day less. A leap year is when the year has 366 days instead of 365. The same day added is also called the leap day in the calendar year.
• The worldly known Valentine's Day is in this month. Presidents' Day, a federal holiday, falls on the third Monday of February.
• George Washington's birthday also falls in this month.
• Sri Lanka celebrates its Independence Day on February 4.
• The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced in February 2021 to provide over $25 million and help support over 1000 arts and cultural organizations.
• The next Snow Moon will fall on February 16, 2022. This full moon will reach its peak at 11:57 a.m. This month can go without a full moon about every once in 19 years.
• It stands third and last in the Northern Hemisphere of meteorological winter. There have been many historical events this month. There was the Shrove Tuesday followed by Ash Wednesday of 2021, National Flag of Canada Day, and many more.