February Tidbits

• February is the second month in the Gregorian calendar and gets its name from the Latin word februum, meaning "purification." The Romans held a festival of purification in mid-February at the full moon.

• February has 28 days in common years which makes it the only month of the year that can pass without a single full moon. This last happened in 1999 and will happen again in 2018.

• February starts on the same day of the week as both March and November in common years and as August in leap years. In leap years it is the only month that ends on the weekday as it began.

• Historical names for February include the Old English terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kalmonath (named for cabbage). Looking at my backyard, mud month is spot on!

• The birthstone for February is the amethyst, which is purple quartz. In the Middle Ages, amethyst was a symbol of royalty.

• The flower of the month for February is the iris. It represents faith, wisdom and hope. The alternate February flower is the violet and it represents faithfulness, modesty and virtue.