Editing February (section)

== History ==
[[File:Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry février.jpg|thumb|February, from the {{lang|fr|[[Très riches heures du Duc de Berry]]}}]]
[[File:Februar Leandro Bassano.jpg|thumb|''February'', [[Leandro Bassano]]]]
The Roman month {{lang|la|[[Februarius]]}} was named after the Latin term {{lang|la|februum}}, which means "purification", via the purification ritual {{lang|la|[[Februa]]}} held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar [[Roman calendar]]. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period of the year. They were added by [[Numa Pompilius]] about 713&nbsp;BC.  February remained the last month of the calendar year until the time of the [[decemvirs]] ({{circa|450&nbsp;BC}}), when it became the second month. At certain times February was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month, [[Mercedonius|Intercalaris]], was occasionally inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the [[season]]s.

February observances in [[Ancient Rome]] included [[Amburbium]] (precise date unknown), [[Sementivae]] (February 2), [[Februa]] (February 13–15), [[Lupercalia]] (February 13–15), [[Parentalia]] (February 13–22), [[Quirinus|Quirinalia]] (February 17), [[Feralia]] (February 21), [[Caristia]] (February 22), [[Terminalia (festival)|Terminalia]] (February 23), [[Regifugium]] (February 24), and [[Agonalia#Agonium Martiale|Agonium Martiale]] (February 27). These days do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Under the reforms that instituted the [[Julian calendar]], Intercalaris was abolished, leap years occurred regularly every fourth year, and in leap years February gained a 29th day. Thereafter, it remained the second month of the calendar year, meaning the order that months are displayed (January, February, March,&nbsp;..., December) within a year-at-a-glance calendar. Even during the Middle Ages, when the numbered [[Anno Domini]] year began on March 25 or December 25, the second month was February whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The [[Gregorian calendar]] reforms made slight changes to the system for determining which years were leap years, but also contained a 29-day February.

Historical names for February include the [[Old English language|Old English]] terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kale-monath (named for [[cabbage]]) as well as [[Charlemagne]]'s designation Hornung. In Finnish, the month is called {{lang|fi|helmikuu}}, meaning "month of the pearl"; when snow melts on tree branches, it forms droplets, and as these freeze again, they are like pearls of ice. In [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], respectively, the month is called {{lang|pl|luty}} or {{lang|uk|лютий}} ({{transliteration|uk|lyutiy}}), meaning the month of ice or hard frost. In [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] the month is {{transliteration|mk|sečko}} ({{lang|mk|сечко}}), meaning month of cutting (wood). In Czech, it is called {{lang|cs|únor}}, meaning month of submerging (of river ice).

In [[Slovene language|Slovene]], February is traditionally called {{lang|sl|svečan}}, related to [[icicle]]s or [[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple|Candlemas]].<ref name="KoledarDPG2007">{{citation |url=http://www.dobrova-polhovgradec.si/doc/priponke/koledar%20prir%2007%20zadnji.pdf |title=Koledar prireditev v letu 2007 in druge informacije občine Dobrova–Polhov Gradec |language=sl |trans-title=The Calendar of Events and Other Information of the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec |publisher=Municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec |year=2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102060918/http://www.dobrova-polhovgradec.si/doc/priponke/koledar%20prir%2007%20zadnji.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-02 }}</ref> This name originates from {{lang|sl|sičan}},<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0V9gAAAAMAAJ|title=Zeitschrift für slavische Philologie |publisher=Markert&Petters|year=1972|editor-first=Max|editor-last=Vasmer|page=115|volume=36–37|access-date=2020-10-02|archive-date=2021-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206103250/https://books.google.com/books?id=0V9gAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> written as {{lang|sl|svičan}} in the ''New Carniolan Almanac'' from 1775 and changed to its final form by [[Franc Metelko]] in his ''New Almanac'' from 1824. The name was also spelled {{lang|sl|sečan}}, meaning "the month of cutting down of trees".<ref name="KoledarDPG2007" /> In 1848, a proposal was put forward in ''[[Kmetijske in rokodelske novice]]'' by the Slovene Society of [[Ljubljana]] to call this month {{lang|sl|talnik}} (related to ice melting), but it did not stick. The idea was proposed by a priest, Blaž Potočnik.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:doc-ACZAUJWT/?&language=eng|journal=Kmetijske in Rokodelske Novice|title=Slovenska imena mesecev|trans-title=Slovene Names of Months|volume=6|issue=37|date=13 September 1848|access-date=8 March 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201917/http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:doc-ACZAUJWT/?&language=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> Another name of February in Slovene was {{lang|sl|vesnar}}, after the mythological character [[Vesna (mythology)|Vesna]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.posta.si/downloadfile.aspx?fileid=14263|title=Slovenska mitologija – Vesna|language=sl, en, de|trans-title=Slovene Mythology – Vesna|journal=Bilten; poštne znamke [Bulletin: Postage Stamps]|issue=56|year=2005|issn=1318-6280|first=Janez|last=Bogataj|access-date=2016-03-08|archive-date=2015-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924080359/http://www.posta.si/downloadfile.aspx?fileid=14263|url-status=live}}</ref>