February: A Month of Love, Purple & Fun Facts

Ahhh....February. A month filled with some interesting things. Like...did you know....

February starts on the same day of the week as March & November in common years, & on the same day of the week as August in leap years. February ends on the same day of the week as October every year & on the same day of the week as January in common years only. In leap years, it is the only month that ends on the same weekday it begins.

February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification & is also the only month that ends prior to 30 days & is the only month effected by leap year. Although we in the Northern hemisphere know that it's the middle month of winter, those in the southern hemisphere know it as the hottest month of summer. The color associated with this month is purple which includes its flower the Violet & stone Amethyst. The month starts out in zodiac sign of Aquarius & ends in Pisces. February is also considered or called the Month of Love. Some say it's due to the month being so cold that love ones gather closer to stay warm.

February has many calender holidays, though most aren't banking holidays like Presidents Day or lesser known holidays then Valentines Day but here are just a few: National Black History, LBGT (UK), Constitution of Mexico, World Marriage Day, Mike Day, National Sun Day, Flag Day, Groundhog Day & the first Sunday of the month always holds the Super Bowl. Arizona (my birth state) is the 48th state & last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, & it achieved statehood on February 14, 1912...yep...Valentines Day.

Now...here are a few little known facts of February. These either took place or were found out during the month.
Anglo Saxions called this cake month & offered cakes to the gods while the Saxions called it sprout month for the start of cabbages & kale growth...
The Shakespeare festival started February 2, 1507...
12th & 14th are called Borrowed Days from Jan. & were used to determine the weather for that upcoming year...
"When a cat lies in the sun of February, they will sleep behind the stove in March"...
The Flower "Snowdrop" comes up from the snow in February & is considered a symbol of hope...
February 19th is National KISSING Day & the 22nd is National Thinking Day...
Queen Elizabeth II Came to throne in 1952 & still holds reign as Queen of England...
Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812...
February 20, 1896 cinema movies first appeared across the seas from America...
Mardi Gras was started as way to induldge ones self until Ash Wednesday...

And here is one final fun/freaky event that took place this month......

On the night of 8–9 February 1855 & one or two later nights, after a heavy snowfall in the UK, a series of hoof-like marks appeared in the snow. These footprints, most of which measured around four inches long, three inches across, between eight & sixteen inches apart & mostly in a single file, were reported from over thirty locations across Devon & a couple in Dorset. It was estimated that the total distance of the tracks amounted to between 40 and 100 miles. Houses, rivers, haystacks & other obstacles were travelled straight over, & footprints appeared on the tops of snow-covered roofs & high walls which lay in the footprints' path, as well as leading up to & exiting various drain pipes as small as four inches in diameter.
The area in which the prints appeared extended from Exmouth, up to Topsham, & across the Exe Estuary to Dawlish & Teignmouth. R.H. Busk, in an article published in Notes and Queries in 1890, stated that footprints also appeared further afield, as far south as Totnes & Torquay, & that there were other reports of the prints as far away as Weymouth (Dorset) & even Lincolnshire.
There were also attendant rumours about sightings of a "devil-like figure" in the Devon area during the scare. Many townspeople armed themselves & attempted to track down the beast responsible, without success. Although there are many theories as to what caused the tracts, people of region still feel the area was visited by the Devil itself.