17 February: Facts about February

Here are ten things you might not know about the month of February.

1. The month of February was named after a Roman festival of purification, Februa, which took place around the middle of this month. February had quite a few Ancient Roman festivals, including the Lupercalia, the Parentalia, the Feralia and the Terminalia.
2. Along with January, February was added to the calendar by Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, in about 713 BC. Before that, winter was considered a monthless period. February was the last month of the year until a calendar reform in about 450 BC, after which January became the first month and February, therefore, the second. As the last month of the year, it was February which would get shortened in order to insert an extra month into the year, called an intercalary month, every so often to realign the calendar with the seasons. Today, keeping the calendar in line with the seasons is done in a more regular fashion by adding an extra day to February every four years.
3. Because it is shorter, February is the only month which can pass without a full Moon. You can also get Februaries without a new moon.
4. Some of the historical names for the month of February include the Old English Mud Month or Kale (Cabbage) Month. In Finnish it's called "Month of Pearl" because snow would melt into droplets and freeze again, thus forming pearls of ice. The Polish and Ukranian words for this month translate as month of ice or hard frost, while the Macedonian word means "month of cutting wood". Until the 19th century, the Germans called this month "Horning" which translates as "the bastard begotten in the corner", therefore of stunted growth. In Slovenia the word for February is related to icicles, although it is sometimes referred to as Vesnar, after a Slavic goddess of youth and springtime.
5. The Native Americans, who named their months after the things they observed in nature at the time of the full moon, referred to this time of year as "Ice in River is Gone", "Frost Sparkling in the Sun", "Moon when Geese Come Home", "When the Spruce Tips Fall", "Moon of the Cedar Dust Wind" and "Month of Rabbit Conception."
6. If you are born in February, your birthstone is the amethyst and your birth flower is the Violet, Primrose or Iris. Your zodiac sign is Aquarius or Pisces.
7. Traditionally, February's weather is the worst of any month, but weather lore dreads a February when the weather is better than usual, because the rotten weather then meant the harvest would be good. Good weather in February meant a poor harvest. Hence traditional sayings like “All the months of the year curse a fair Februeer”, and “A Welshman had rather see his dam on her bier than see a fair Februeer” and “Much February snow a fine Summer doth show”.
8. February was deemed a lucky month to get married - "Married in February's sleepy weather, Life you'll tread in time together," goes one saying. As long as you don't mind that your wedding day is likely to have horrible weather!
9. Modern day observances in February call for us to be aware of or celebrate: Black/African-American history, American music, canned food, Chocolate, Condoms, cruises, Grapefruit, humpback whales, embroidery, Cherries, Scottish culture, weddings and wild bird feeding.
10. Lent usually begins in February so carnivals and traditions relating to Shrove Tuesday take place this month, along with various festivals and traditions relating to Valentine's Day or Candlemas on the nearest Sunday to those dates.

NEW!

Settling the Score

Another collection of short stories, even more murder and mayhem with carol singers, an orchestra out for revenge, a sinister magic stone and a haunted mansion.

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A Tale of Two Sisters

During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.

Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.

As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.

Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?

Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?

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