February is the last winter february 14 gift ideas in the Northern Hemisphere, and the last summer month in the Southern Hemisphere. It is named after Februa, the Roman ritual of cleansing.

The primrose is one of February’s birth flowers. February is the second month in the Gregorian calendar and has 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years. The next February 29 will occur in 2024. What Is the Meaning of February? The name February comes from the Latin Februa, the ancient Roman celebration of cleansing and fertility on the winter’s last Full Moon. Roman priests sacrificed a ram: its blood reminded of the days of human sacrifice, its hide was regarded as a symbol of fertility.

When the two winter months January and February were added, February became the last month of the year and was given 28 days to fit into the calendar. To keep up with the seasons, the Romans introduced a leap month they called Intercalaris. The extra month was added every couple of years after February, which was shortened to 23 or 24 days to make room for the thirteenth month. In the year 46 BCE, Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar system—the Julian calendar. He abolished the Intercalaris and instead introduced what would become the leap year, where every fourth year, February had 29 days instead of 28.

This was the beginning of the modern leap day. Astronomical Events in February 2022Snow Moon: The Full Moon in February is called Snow Moon after the snowy conditions in the last month of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Mercury in the morning: On February 16, Mercury appeared at its farthest distance from the Sun in the morning sky. This is always a great time to spot the planet. You can find it easily with our Interactive Night Sky Map. The official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, lives near the city of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania.

The tradition goes back to German immigrants settling in Pennsylvania. In Germany, people spotted hedgehogs coming back to life from their winter hibernation and saw this as a sign that spring was about to start. Since hedgehogs are rare in Pennsylvania, this tradition was transferred to groundhogs. It is the most-watched sporting event in the United States: Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 set the record for the most-watched American television program with 114.