February is a tough month. We’re in the final stretch of winter, and spring seems like a long way off. Maybe that’s why they made it the shortest month. But that wasn’t enough! To cheer everyone up, they’ve crammed as many holidays into that short period of time as humanly possible.
1. Groundhog Day, February 2
You gotta love a holiday centered around weather. You might think it’s about the animal, but no, any animal would have done just as well. The real reason Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2nd is that it is close to the midpoint of winter, halfway between the solstice and the equinox. Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, we still officially have six more weeks of winter. But hope springs eternal.
2. Superbowl Sunday, February 3
The manliest celebration of the year is on Superbowl Sunday. Professional football teams have been whittled down to the best of the AFC and the NFC. This year, it’s the New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots. A tradition since 1967, Superbowl Sunday was a January holiday til 2004, when season creep pushed it into February. To celebrate properly, you should buy a big screen TV, stock up on beer and meal-sized snacks, and invite your friends over to watch the game. Remember to analyze all the expensive TV ads as well as the game. Here are more tips on hosting a Superbowl party.
3. Mardi Gras, February 5
Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday”. The date is also called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. It’s the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. The purpose of Fat Tuesday is to use up all the temptations before the fast, whether alcohol, sugar, fatty foods, or wild carousing. The idea has expanded to an entire season of Carnival, since there’s a lot of temptations out there.
4. Chinese New Year, February 7
Chinese New Year is the beginning of the Spring Festival which runs 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival. The date varies from year to year and depends on the lunar calendar. In Chinese astrology, each year is named after an animal in the zodiac, making a 12-year cycle. This February 7th is the beginning of The Year of the Rat. The New Year is a time of fresh beginnings, parades and fireworks, and symbols of good luck.
5. Valentines Day, February 14
Originally the feast day of St. Valentine, this holiday may have been set at February 14th to replace Lupercalia, a Roman festival where lots were drawn to pair up men and women. Valentines Day has become the day when a woman’s status at her workplace is set for the entire year according to the size of the delivery she receives from the florist. Or doesn’t. But at least there are plenty of sweets.
6. President’s Day, February 18
Until 1968, we celebrated Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th and Washington’s birthday on the 22nd. The problem was that having two such holidays in the same month made employers leary of giving anyone either day off. As you need a day off to contemplate the awesomeness of our forefathers (and get to the white sale), Washington’s birthday was moved to the third Monday in February. Lincoln’s birthday remained on the 12th, but in popular use is combined with Washington’s birthday to become Presidents Day and the newest three-day weekend. The effects were immediate: everyone forgot about Lincoln and Washington and made plans to get out of town.
7. Leap Day, February 29
It’s the date that only comes round once every four years, like the Olympics or the US presidential election. There are some exceptions, as you can see in the above flow chart. That in itself is reason enough for a holiday, isn’t it? February 29th is the day that those who are celebrating birthdays get to make jokes about how they got their driver’s liscence right after their fourth birthday, or are looking forward to retirement after their sweet 16th. Some communities celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day on February 29th. Although Al Capp, who invented the Sadie Hawkins tradition in his comic strip Li’l Abner placed it in the fall, there are those who think the opportunity for women to chase her own beau should be restricted to once every four years.
If that isn’t enough for you, here’s a longer list of special days in February. We do whatever we can to get through until spring.
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Great list of February holidays.
Am I the only one who remembers celebrating both Lincoln & Washington’s birthday and thinks is a rip off that they got “combined” into President’s Day?
posted by beth on 2-1-2008 at 10:33 am
Your Leap Year math is off.
A Leap Year is determined if the four-digit year is evenly divisible by 4, unless…
The year is evenly divisible by 100, in which case it is not a Leap Year, unless…
The year is evenly divisible by 400, in which case it is a Leap Year, unless…
The year is evenly divisible by 4000, in which case it is not a Leap Year, unless…
The year is 200 or 600 years after a year that is evenly divisible by 900, in which case it is a Leap Year.
Source: the Ohio Department of Administrative Services
posted by Robert D. on 2-1-2008 at 1:59 pm
What? No Daytona 500?
NASCAR, for reasons known only to itself, runs its biggest race as the first event of the year. This year, it’s on Sunday, Feb. 17.
The 2008 edition is the 50th running of the race, which is a bit of a milestone, no matter how you slice it.
You watch your Super Bowl, I’ll watch mine.
posted by Mike D. on 2-1-2008 at 2:09 pm
Um…I’m not sure the Super Bowl qualifies as a holiday…but if it does, then the Puppy Bowl is a mini holiday.
posted by Lea on 2-1-2008 at 2:29 pm
You forgot to add my Birthday in there…
Feb 9th, if you forget to get me a present as well its safe to say ill be a little upset.
posted by Martyn on 2-1-2008 at 4:42 pm
And if you got paid today, and are on a bi-weekly pay schedule, you’ve just had a once in 56 year occurrence. The last time there were 3 fridays in February was 28 years ago. But, since the bi-weekly schedule advanced one week in that time, paydays would have been the 8th and 22nd.
Yes, I have way too much time on my hands.
posted by Empty Jay on 2-1-2008 at 6:08 pm
Jay, do you mean 5 Fridays in Feb.?
We should have a Holiday for February being the most difficult month to pronounce.
I like all of the others this month though.
It’s also Black History Month.
posted by mungley on 2-1-2008 at 7:13 pm
I’m on my way to a Groundhog Day Beer Breakfast at my local pub. Mmmm, breakfast stout at 7 a.m.
posted by fixedgear on 2-2-2008 at 4:52 am
The 3rd Monday in Feb. is Family day ( a stat holiday) in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
posted by Cherry on 2-6-2008 at 5:05 am
The Super Bowl is played in February each year, not because of “season creep”, but because of television.
By scheduling the game in February, this guarantees that each year, the SB will be held during what is known as “sweeps weeks”. Sweeps weeks are in February, May and November. These are the periods where TV advertising rates are set and this is why the networks put up their biggest programming events and show little to no reruns at this time.
Ensuring the game was held in this important broadcasting window was never considered until after the first time the game was in February (2002), but since the realization came too late for scheduling the 2003 game this way, it wasn’t until 2004 that it became a permanent part of the schedule.
Who do we have to thank for this stroke of television programming genius–none other than Osama Bin Laden. Because of the 9/11 attacks, the entire NFL schedule was delayed one week, pushing the 2002 game into sweeps weeks.
posted by Wayne on 2-1-2011 at 9:32 am
The Superbowl will occur on Sunday, February 6th, not Thursday the 3rd.
posted by Diane on 2-1-2011 at 10:28 am
Diane, this article was published in 2008. We don’t have a February 29th this year, either, and Mardi Gras will be in March in 2011.
posted by Miss Cellania on 2-1-2011 at 10:37 am
would it have been so hard to update this article for 2011?
posted by Matty on 2-1-2011 at 11:05 am
“two such holidays in the same month made employers leary”… Would that be Timothy?
posted by Maureen on 2-1-2011 at 11:28 am
It’s going to be the Year of the Rabbit, not the Rat.
posted by Sheri on 2-1-2011 at 2:10 pm
The Daytona 500 is Feb 20th
posted by Tom on 2-1-2011 at 2:19 pm
And my birthday is February 2!!!! tomorrow :)…
Too bad Jamaica doesn’t “celebrate” Groundhog Day… I wouldn’t have to contemplate using a leave day ;)
posted by Dionne on 2-1-2011 at 5:32 pm