February, shortest month

Time flies so fast, today is the last day of 2009’s first month. The next month of February will fly even faster with only 28 days in the calendar. If we come to think of it, it is amazing how the calendar shapes our lives.

In ancient times, a priest only observed the sky and announced a new moon cycle to the ruler. From this custom, the word calendar is thus derived from the word calare, which means “to proclaim” and referring to kalends, the first day of each new month. A religious man once said that “a true calendar must go by the monthly conjunction of the moon, and the new moon begins at the ‘dark’ of the moon, that is, when no moon can be seen by the eye. Going by the first visible crescent of the moon is considered moon worship and idolatry”.

Everybody is familiar with the statement, “ 30 days has September, April, June and November; All the rest have 31, except February that has 28”. But very few know why February has only 28 days. The wonders of internet research provide us with a historical background summarized by one Melonyce McAfee.

“Way back in 535 BC, Romulus, the first king of Rome, devised a ten-month lunar calendar with 304 days in a year that began at the spring equinox in March and ended with December. Each month’s length varied from 20 to 35 or more days, believed intended to reflect growth stages of crops and cattle. The months between December and March were likely left off then because the wintertime was not important for the harvest”.

“Later, the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, decided to make the calendar more accurate by synchronizing it with the lunar year. He decided that a year would have 355 days, the length of 12 lunar cycles. Back then, even numbers were considered unlucky. So he created seven months with 29 days, and four with 31. Since he needed one short even-numbered month, he chose February, as it was considered the least favorite month for it arrived during the middle of winter. And hence, it was given only 28 days. Numa added the months of January and February after December to account for the new days”.

“In around 45 BC, Julius Ceasar commissioned an expert to put aside the origins of the Roman calendar and make it sun-based, like the Egyptian one. The solar year — with the value of 365 days and 6 hours — was then made the basis of the calendar. Ceasar added 10 days to the calendar year and an extra day in February every four years. To take care of the 6 hours, every 4th year was made a 366-day year. The leap-year day was inserted after the 23rd of February”.

Time makes history and moves the world. We have all the time at our disposal, but it easily slips. We should make each day worthwhile.