February:Rome's Most Unusual Month

February is undoubtedly one of the most unusual months of the year.

The Origin of the Name

The name February comes from the Latin verb februare, meaning “to purify.” It refers to the ancient purification rituals celebrated in honour of the Etruscan god Februus and the Roman goddess Febris, protector of the purifying fever from which the modern word fever ultimately derives.

For the Romans, February was therefore a month of purification and renewal.

What may come as a surprise, however, is that in the earliest Roman calendar, February did not exist at all.

The Last Month of the Year

The earliest Roman calendar consisted of only ten months, for a total of 304 days. Winter was largely ignored because it held little importance for agriculture or military campaigns.

The Roman year began in March, and its first four months were dedicated to Mars, Aphrodite (Venus), Maia, and Juno—the origins of the modern names March, April, May, and June.

It was Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome, who added January and February to the calendar. February became the last month of the Roman year.

But why is February the shortest month?

A Matter of Numbers

Historians have proposed different explanations.

One theory suggests that, under the Julian calendar, February originally had 29 days. Later, when the Roman Senate dedicated the eighth month to Emperor Augustus, it was considered inappropriate for August to have only 30 days while July, named after Julius Caesar, had 31. According to this tradition, one day was taken from February and added to August.

Other historians argue that February had only 28 days from the very beginning, partly because it was regarded as an unlucky month associated with purification and the rituals performed for the dead.

Why Do We Have Leap Years?

February is also the month that changes during a leap year, gaining an extra day every four years.

This system was introduced by Julius Caesar as part of his calendar reform. The Romans, however, did not add a 29th of February as we do today. Instead, they repeated the 24th of February, known in the Roman calendar as the dies sextus ante Kalendas Martias (“the sixth day before the Calends of March”).

The repeated day became the bis sextus (“twice the sixth”), giving rise to the term bissextile, from which the modern concept of a leap year ultimately derives.

Whether because of its unusual history, its changing length, or its ancient religious significance, February has always been an exceptional month—one whose peculiarities continue to fascinate more than two thousand years later.