Holidays in February 2021

There is one federal holiday in February 2021 and that is Presidents’ Day / Washington’s Birthday on February 15, which falls on a Monday in 2021. Although it’s not an official holiday, we have to mention that Valentine’s Day is annually celebrated on February 14, which this year is a Sunday.

Facts About February

For us it might be a known thing that February is the second month of the year, but it wasn’t always like this. In fact, February wasn’t even an actual month in the early Roman calendar. When it was added together with January to the new calendar, it was placed all the way at the end, as the last month. It was only later that it was moved to where it is now, the 2nd month in the year calendar.

The origins of February’s name (Februarius, in Latin) have to do with the ancient annual festival Februa which celebrated purification.

Besides being the last month of winter, February has another unusual thing about it, unique, even. It is the only month of the whole year with less than 30 days. As that wasn’t enough, every four years it has an extra day. So instead of 28 days, in leap years (years with 366 days) February has 29 days.

The birthstone of February is the amethyst, a violet or purple gemstone, a type of quartz, for those passionate about geology. In some cultures, the amethyst is associated with the purity of spirit.

The violet is February’s first birth flower. With its purple color, (same as the amethyst) the violet signifies faithfulness or loyalty. Two other flowers associated with February are the primrose and the iris.

In conclusion: February is a very special month with a complicated history that keeps surprising you the more you learn about it.