7 Surprising facts about the month of February
February may be the shortest month of the year, but there’s no shortage of strange facts about it. Firstly, it has 28 days normally, and 29 days in leap years. A number of Indian festivals, starting with Basant Panchami, are celebrated in it. It’s well known as the month with Valentine’s Day (February 14). Now let’s look at some less known February facts.
February got its name from a Roman spring festival
Not just India, the blooming yellow flowers of February and the lessening of cold weather associates this month with early spring in many countries. The name of the month came from Februa, an early Roman spring festival and cleansing ritual that was held on February 15.
February is often spelled wrong
February has the ‘honour’ of being one of the most misspelled words in English. In 2015, the White House press office sent out several news releases with February spelled wrongly!
February is the only month that may not have a single full moon day
Having a month without a full moon is impossible, unless it’s February. There have been instances of this before, and the most recent one was in 1999. The next one is scheduled to happen in 2037!
1 in 1,461 babies may be born on February 29
It’s one of the odd statistical problems that mathematicians love poring over. The figures vary from country to country and time to time, depending on population growth rate. The leap year kids celebrate their birthday parties typically on February 28 or March 1, depending on which hemisphere they belong.
Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 in USA and Germany
The festival became popular with the Hollywood movie ‘Goundhog’s Day’. It was about a man who got stuck in February 2, i.e. every day he woke up in February 2! In USA, there is a festival around a groundhog on that day. The festival actually originates from a German superstition, where on February 2, a badger is supposed to sniff out and predict whether winter would continue or spring start early that year.
February is also celebrated as Black History Month
Famous President Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, and Frederick Douglass, an African American activist, was born on February 14. Black American people and activists dedicate this month to their memory and to their struggles and achievements as a community.