Did you know the word February comes from the Latin word februa, which means “to cleanse?” This month was named after the Roman Februalia, which was a month-long festival of purification and atonement that took place during this time of year (The Month of February 2023: Holidays, Astronomy, Fun Facts, Folklore | The Old Farmer's Almanac). Interestingly, it was originally set as the last month of the year until it was moved to its place as the second month in c. 450 BC.
Named Black History Month in 1976 because the second week of the month coincides with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, it also is home to Valentine’s Day in honor of St. Valentine. The legend informs us that Emperor Claudius II prohibited soldiers from marrying. St. Valentine ignored the order and secretly married young couples to spare the young husbands from war. He was eventually imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded. According to another legend, St. Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness. In 496 AD Valentine’s Day was born (Valentine's Day 2023: History, Quotes, Recipes, and More | The Old Farmer's Almanac).
According to the National Weather Service, February is the snowiest month in the United States. A poem, The Snow-Shower, by William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) describes snow:
Here delicate snow-stars, out of the cloud,
Come floating downward in airy play,
Like spangles dropped from the glistening crowd
That whiten by night
The Milky Way.
February has two flowers assigned to it. The violet, signifying watchfulness, loyalty, and faithfulness; and the primrose, lets someone know you can’t live without them. The amethyst is February’s birthstone. A deep, rich purple, it was thought to prevent intoxication and keep its wearer thinking sharply and was worn in the Middle Ages by English royalty.
A few examples of some February folklore are:
- Married in February’s sleety weather, Life you’ll tread in tune together.
- If February gives much snow, A fine summer it doth foreshow.
- Fogs in February mean frosts in May.
As I was writing these thoughts, my husband came in with a Valentine's gift…a cookie (pictured)…and said he was practicing “self-care.” We all have those days, and this is one of them for him. It’s so important to have people in our lives with whom we can share both the good and the bad. (The cookie was good!)
I’m reminded of 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible: “If I speak with the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal…Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails…And now, these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” It sounds like an unreachable goal until think about God. God is love. God = love. In a world of conflicting definitions of love, I find this to be grounding and reassuring. May your February be filled with love!
