Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 1, 1992 TAG: 9202010028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
THE BEST THAT CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE MONTH IS ITS MERCIFUL LENGTH
So how would you like to be February? You're short. You have a funny name that's hard to pronounce. And nobody wants you hanging round.T.S. Eliot said April's the cruelest month. Everybody else says it's February, the temperamental month that separates holiday cheer from spring's first breath.
At least it's the month everybody's cruelest to.
To be fair, February brought a lot of this grief on itself.
The name comes from the Latin word februare, meaning to expiate or purify.
Ancient Romans celebrated it as a month of purification, a practice not high on anybody's fun list. Roman priests wandered around the streets striking women with goatskin thongs to purify them and at the same time ensure fertility, according to the book "All About Months."
Obviously, February was not a good month for women or goats in ancient Rome.
The Romans were cavalier in their treatment of the month, bumping February around the calendar and mugging it from time to time. Around 700 B.C., Roman ruler Numa Pompilius increased the days in the year and added two months, January at the beginning and February at the end. By 452 B.C., February was moved between January and March.
February started life with 30 days. But egotistical Roman emperors whittled it down. Julius Caesar clipped a day and added it to July, the month he named for himself.
Then Augustus Caesar, not to be out done, stole another day from February to add to August so his month could have as many days as July.
At 28 days, February was destined to be an oddity.
As an old English verse says: "Thirty days hath November, April, June and September. February hath twenty-eight alone. All the rest have thirty-one"
Well, not always.
Every four years, February has 29 days in accordance with Leap Year.
Those born on Feb. 29 no doubt see it as a conspiracy to rob them of birthdays.
But the extra day originally was intended to make the calendar year as close as possible to the solar year, the time it takes for the sun to pass the vernal equinox twice. Leap years occur during years that can be divided by four - with some certain exceptions. They don't occur on years that mark the even hundreds such as 1500, according to the World Book. But they do occur on on century years that can be evenly divided by 400.
If you think that's confusing, consider February weather.
The National Weather Service reports a February low in Roanoke of minus 2 in 1905 and a February high of 87 in 1932.
The wettest February was in 1960 when 27.6 inches of snow fell.
So mercurial is February weather that hapless humans resorted to a groundhog to predict it.
Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2 when a media event of epic proportions occurs. Journalists descend on Punxsutawney, Pa., to see if the groundhog there by the name of Phil sees his shadow after awakening from his winter nap. If he sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter weather are on the way. If not, spring is imminent.
The custom far predates Phil. Feb. 2 also is the Christian holiday Candlemas and has long been associated with weather predictions. The groundhog custom came to America from Germany and England.
In order to take weather forecasting out of the paws of furry prognosticators, the National Weather Service was formed in February 1870. But hordes of newspaper editors still eagerly await wire reports from Punxsutawney every Feb. 2.
Though brief, February is not without its share of holidays. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington overcame the obstacle of February birthdays to become two of America's greatest presidents.
And on Feb. 14, florists and greeting-card and candy companies have an occasion to celebrate along with romantics everywhere.
The origins of Valentine's Day are shrouded in mist. Some authorities believe it began with the Roman festival of Lupercalia on Feb. 15 because fertility was associated with the event. Others say it's based on two early Christian saints named Valentine. One disobeyed a Roman emperor's orders and secretly married young couples. Another was imprisoned by the Romans and devoted children tossed him notes. In English folklore, there are beliefs that birds choose their mates on Feb. 14.
The World Book Encyclopedia says that the origin probably has a little something to do with all of the beliefs.
Finally, those who say February is depressing shouldn't blame the month, says psychologist Paul J. Woods.
"Things like seasons and weather cannot directly depress people. That's superficial. People depress themselves. I see very depressed people no matter what the weather is," Wood says.
However, if you're still convinced February is depressing, just remember: The seed catalogs are in the mail.