February is a month of contrasts: icy blizzards and warm hearts, ancient Roman rituals and modern Super Bowl parties, solemn remembrances and goofy celebrations (yes, there’s a day dedicated to eating ice cream for breakfast). Across its 28 or sometimes 29 days, February manages to pack in more cultural, historical, and seasonal moments than you’d expect from the shortest month of the year.
You might know about Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day. Maybe you’ve heard of Groundhog Day or Mardi Gras. But what about the festivals that came before them? Or the once-a-decade quirks that only February can pull off? This quiz dives into the hidden corners and well-known highlights of the month, testing what you know, and maybe teaching you something along the way.
History lesson
February is Rome’s Forgotten Last Chapter
In the earliest Roman calendar, the year began in March and ended in December — a neat 10-month cycle that skipped over the dead of winter entirely. But as this system drifted out of sync with the solar year, reforms were needed. Around the 8th century BCE, King Numa Pompilius — Rome’s second king — added January and February to the end of the calendar to account for the year’s missing days. February, then, began its life as the twelfth and final month.
Its name came from Februa, an ancient festival of ritual cleansing and purification held mid-month. This was a time for spiritually scrubbing away the residue of the old year — honoring the dead, clearing out misfortune, and preparing for the rebirth of spring. It was introspective, a little eerie, and deeply tied to themes of closure.
February remained the last month of the year until 46 BCE, when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. In that sweeping reform, he shifted the start of the year to January and locked February into its familiar second position — short, strange, and still tied to cycles of renewal. Later, the Christian church overlaid its own traditions on top of the old ones, reframing purification festivals like Februa into holidays like Candlemas.
Today, February might be best known for romance, groundhogs, and presidential birthdays — but its roots tell a different story
Quiz Writer
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Did you know?
George Washington Wasn’t Born on Presidents’ Day
Despite what store flyers and long weekends suggest, “Presidents’ Day” isn’t actually a federal holiday — and George Washington’s birthday hasn’t been celebrated on the correct day in decades. The first U.S. president was born on February 22, 1732, but the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 moved the public observance to the third Monday in February, which never falls on the 22nd. Technically, the holiday is still just Washington’s Birthday at the federal level.
The idea of “Presidents’ Day,” honoring both Washington and Lincoln, is mostly the result of marketing campaigns — and it’s recognized differently in each state.
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