FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

Facts About The Month Of February.

                                                  Gemstone; Amethyst.

                                                    Flower; Primrose.

The Romans and the Celts regarded the month of February as the beginning of Spring.

The month of February and also January were both introduced to the Roman calendar when it was extended from ten months in a year to twelve by the roman Numa Pompilius who was the second King of Rome.

February comes from the word 'Februa' which means to cleanse or purify, due to the many rituals that took place before spring.

The 'Anglo Saxons' called this month 'Sol – monath' or (cake month) because they baked cakes and then offered them to their God's during this month.

The Welsh called February 'y mis bach' which means the little month because it only has 28 days except in a leap year.

Candlemas Day.

February 2^nd is Candlemas Day ( the Christian festival of light. ) This ancient festival marks the midpoint of winter, the halfway period between the shortest day and the spring equinox. In the Christian Church on this day all the Candles that were to be used during the New Year were brought in to the church to be blessed at the alter and so this day became known as Candlemas Day, an other name for this day is the Festival Day of the Candles.

Traditions,Superstitions and Weather Lore.

Borrowed Days.

The Days February 12^th - 14^th were said to be “borrowed” from the month of January. It was said that if these days were stormy, the rest of the year would be favoured with good weather: but if they were fine, then the years weather would be foul.

The Legend of the Snowdrop.

A small flower called the Snowdrop appears in February and it is thought to be symbol of hope. The Legend of the Snowdrop comes from the story that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden they faced long cold winters and Eve was about to give up hope that they would ever end, when an Angel appeared and she transformed some of the falling snowflakes into the flowers of a Snowdrop, proving that the winters do eventually give way to spring.

An Old Rhyme.

The Snowdrop, in purest white array,

First rears her head on Candlemas day.

The Latin name for Snowdrop “Galanthus “comes from the Greeks, gala means “milk” anthus means “flower”.

Snowdrops are also called Candlemas Bells.

The name Snowdrop does not mean 'drop of snow', it means drop as in “eardrops” the old name for earrings.

Shrove Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday marks the start of the forty days before Easter, this is supposed to be a period of quietness and fasting. Sometimes called “Mischief Day” Shrove Tuesday is the last day before “Lent”.

In certain parts of the country a special game of football is played. This game of football has no rules and is played on Shrove Tuesday. In some villages and towns the streets would be closed for the duration of the game which could last for several hours or more. The small town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire is one of the places where this game is still held each year on Shrove Tuesday and on Ash Wednesday.

Festivals and Traditions.

February 2^{nd .}

Candlemas Day commemorates the ritual purification of 'Mary', forty days after the birth of “Jesus”.

It is now the day when all the candles to be used by the church during the new year are blessed.

February 12^th.

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is on the 12^th of February this year. This is the last day before the start of Lent.

February 13^th.

To day is Ash Wednesday. It was once the custom that children on this day would carry a twig from an Ash tree in their pocket or down their socks and if they were caught without one then the other children would stamp on their feet.

February 14^th.

St' ValentinesDay, this was the day when we originally thought was the day when birds chose their mates.Valentines Day has always been associated with love and romance, it was once said;

The first man an unmarried woman saw on this day,

would be her future husband.

If a woman saw a Robin flying overhead, she would a sailor wed,

If it was a Sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be happy,

If she saw a Goldfinch she would marry a rich man.

February 15^th.

Kissing Friday. It was once tradition that on this day that schoolboys were allowed to kiss the girls without being punished or rejected for doing so. This tradition lasted until the 1940s.

Leap Year.

A leap year occurs every four years when an extra day is added to the month. On this day a woman may propose to her loved one.

Aniversaries.

February 6^th. In 1952 Queen Elizabeth 11 came to the throne.

February 7^th. In 1812 Charles Dickens was born.

February 11^th. Sir Francis Drake became the first Englishman to sail the Pacific in 1578.

Thomas Edison the famous Inventer was born this day in 1847.

February 12^th. Birth of Charles Darwin in 1807.

February 14^th. St' Valentines Day.

February 15^th. In 1971 Britian went Decimal.

February 23^rd. The birth of 'Handel' the musician in 1685, a German born British composer.

Samuel Pepys was born also on this day in 1633. He is famous for his Diary but also as a Naval Adminstratior to King Charles 11 and also to King James 11, he also became a member of Parliament from 1685-1688.