Unraveling the Mystery: Why February is Cursed with Only 28 Days

Introduction:

February is a month of the year that has always been shrouded in mystery. It is the shortest month of the year with only 28 days, which is quite different from other months. In this article, we will be looking at why February only has 28 days.

Roman calendar:

The division of the year based on lunar cycles was a practice that the ancient Romans followed. The year, which started in March and ended in December, had ten months of either 29 or 31 days. The first part of the year was left unnamed since No crops could be planted or harvested during that time, so it was insignificant. Later on, the Roman king, Numa Pompilius, added two new months, January and February, to ensure that the calendar covered the entire year.

Reasons for February's 28-day length:

The Romans believed that even numbers were unlucky, so they decided to have 29 or 31 days in each month. However, twelve months of 31 days added up to 372 days, which was eight days too many. February became the month with 28 days since the Romans honored their dead during this month, and they believed that the dead were not affected by bad luck since they were already dead.

Changes to the Calendar:

Julius Caesar changed the calendar to reflect the movement of the sun, rather than the lunar cycles. Later on, Pope Gregory XIII fine-tuned the Julian calendar to correct some imprecisions that had crept in over time. He also eliminated ten days, which caused the calendar to drift out of sync with the solar year. This gave rise to the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar we use today.

Leap Years:

Leap years happen every four years to help keep the Gregorian calendar in sync with the solar year. This is because it takes the earth 365.24 days to orbit the sun. So, adding an extra day every four years ensures that the calendar stays in sync with the seasonal changes.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, February's 28-day length is based on Roman superstition. Even though the calendar has gone through several revisions, February has retained its unique length, which is an important part of the current Gregorian calendar.