Why is february called february

Wearing the armour of a general, he would originally have held a spear in his right hand, now missing, and possibly a shield in his left also missing. The Romans called the month Aprilis. Antoine Jules Pelletier fl. Watercolour, strengthened with gum, c. May is named after the Greek goddess Maia.

This print is an allegorical representation of the month of May. The artist has included the twins Castor and Pollux because the zodiac sign of Gemini starts in May. Christian Bernhard Rode — , Allegorical representation of the month of May. The twins Castor resting on a cloud and Pollux with a spear and shield are watching a shepherdess. Etching, June is named after the Roman goddess Juno — the god of marriage and childbirth, and the wife of Jupiter, king of the gods.

Here she is seated in a chariot. Despite the fact that there were now 12 months in the Roman year, the numerical names of the later months were left unchanged. Further reading: Explainer: the gods behind the days of the week. While January takes its name from Janus , the Roman god of beginnings and endings, February comes from the word februum purification and februa , the rites or instruments used for purification.

These formed part of preparations for the coming of Spring in the northern hemisphere. The februa included spelt and salt for cleaning houses, leaves worn by priests, and strips of goat skin. These strips were put to good use in the festival of the Lupercalia, held each year on February This ancient nudie run was designed to purify the city and promote fertility. The origins of some months were debated even by the Romans themselves. Believe it or not, the calendar we know today is actually based on the ancient Roman calendar.

It was invented in the 8th century BC by a king named Numa Pompilius. What's up with Leap Day? Read about February 29 — the date that only comes around every four years.

A picture of a Roman calendar found in the ruins of Nero's villa at Antium. If you look close, you may see the months listed along the top of the picture. Image licensed Public Domain via Wikimedia. However, the real reason February is shorter begins with the fact that the first calendar was only 10 months long.

A field of barley — a crop favourite of Ancient Rome. The two new months were both originally 28 days long. It is lost to history why January acquired more days, though there are various unverifiable hypotheses.

Before we adopted the Latin name for our second month, Old English used much more vibrant names to describe the month now known as February. But, the word February comes from the Roman festival of purification called Februa, during which people were ritually washed. In this case, the god was named after the festival, not the other way around.