Hello and welcome back to the quiz world! Today I want to invite you to take the quiz about February. Do you think you know enough February Fun Facts to ace this test? You won’t know till you try it. So, let us dive right in! Before that happens, let me share with you some February trivia.
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 days in so-called leap years. The 29th day is called the leap day; the next February 29 will occur in 2024. February is the first of five months that doesn’t have 31 days and the only one to have less than 30 days.
February is the last winter month in the Northern Hemisphere, and the last summer month in the Southern Hemisphere. It is named after Februa. It was the Roman ritual of cleansing and celebration of fertility, later called Lupercalia, observed annually on February the 15th. During the celebration, Roman priests sacrificed a male goat. Its blood was the remembrance of the days of human sacrifice, and its skin was a symbol of fertility.
In Welsh, February can sometimes be called y mis bach which means: little month. The Saxons called February Sol-monath, which means cake month because they would offer cakes to the gods during that time.
The old Roman calendar had only ten months and started with the month of March. When the months January and February were added, February became the last month of the year, replacing December, and was given 28 days to fit into the calendar. When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, he added the leap year. It meant that every fourth year, February had 29 days instead of 28.
Traditionally, the birthstone for February is the amethyst. It symbolizes spiritual protection. February’s birth flowers are violet, primrose, and iris. The Zodiac signs in February are Aquarius and Pisces. Aquarius season lasts from January the 20th to February the 17th, and Pisces lasts from February 18th to March 20th.
One of the most known holidays that takes place during February is Valentine’s Day. Also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated every year on February the 14th. The roots of this day can be traced back to ancient Christianity. It is commonly accepted that the holiday is named after Saint Valentine, but we can’t be sure which one.
The Catholic Church recognizes several different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. There was Saint Valentine of Rome and Saint Valentine of Terni, who were both executed. Different stories give different reasons for their martyrdom: converting Romans to Christianity, performing miracles, secretly performing marriages for couples despite the Emperor’s orders. Some historians think that those two saints could in reality be the same person. There is an unproven myth saying that while in prison, Saint Valentine fell in love with a woman (maybe his jailer’s daughter). He supposedly wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine”, an expression still popular today.
Over the years, the date of February the 14th has become associated with celebrating love. Saint Valentine, whoever he was, was made into a patron of engaged and married couples and all those who are in love. Interestingly enough, he is also a patron saint of epilepsy, beekeepers, and the mentally ill.
Did you know about Groundhog Day? It is a popular North American tradition that takes place on February the 2nd. On that day, people gather around the groundhog’s burrow near the city of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania, USA. The groundhog’s behavior when he emerges from his den is said to predict the change of seasons. If he sees his shadow, he will return to the burrow and six more weeks of winter will follow. If he doesn’t see his shadow because of clouds, spring will be on the way. Also, the groundhog’s full name is Punxsutawney Phil. Adorable!
The amusing custom goes back to the German settlers in Pennsylvania. In Germany, people spotted hedgehogs coming back to life from their winter slumber and saw this as a sign that spring was to arrive soon. Since hedgehogs are rare in Pennsylvania, this tradition was transferred to groundhogs.
February is a strange month. It is the shortest month of the year, and it has the least amount of celebrations – except maybe for Valentine’s Day. At the same time, February is a month that truly has a lot of fascinating things going for it! How many of them do you think you know?
Try your hand in our February trivia questions and answers to see how much you know about the calendar’s second month and to learn some truly incredible facts! If February means anything to you, this is a challenge you should enjoy.