Why is February the shortest month? The appearance of January and February.

Everyone knows that there are a dozen months in a year, each with 30 or 31 days. February is the shortest month of the year with only 28 days. If the year is a leap year, then in February there is one more day, that is, 29. But neither 30, nor even 31 days have ever been there and never will be. At the same time, we rarely think about such a reason for the strangeness of the calendar. Oncology Israel sign up at israel-hospitals.ru

Why is February full of days?

First of all, it is worth understanding why it is in February, and not in any other month of the year, that there is such a truncated duration. So, we calculate the passage of time according to the Gregorian calendar. But he was not the primary source of timekeeping. Here, as in a fairy tale about a turnip, one is tied to the other. In other words, this calendar is based on the Julian, which, in turn, originated and is generally similar to the ancient Roman. And the Romans considered the beginning of each year not winter, but spring - the time of the awakening of nature, a new round of life and all that. Based on this, it turns out that February was the last month of the year, and if we cut something, then only in it, and not somewhere in the middle of the year.

Previously, the Romans had 304 days in a year, which were divided into 10 equal months of 34 days each. But then it was decided to tie the flow and counting of time to the solar calendar and the corresponding cycle. An emperor named Pompilius in his decree ordered to rebuild the chronology. And then came the month we call January. It was from him that it was decided to count the beginning of each next year in a new way.

Months were conventionally divided into even and, accordingly, odd. The first category had 30 days, and the second category, respectively, 31 days. But having counted all 12 months in this way, it turned out that there are not enough days for February. There was nowhere to take them from, so the month remained “shortened”.

It is believed that the year is not just 365 days, but also several hours. But it is impossible to celebrate the onset of the new year every time at a different time, because these very hours are simply not taken into account. They are simply summed up in a leap year. By the way, from the ancient Greek "leap year" means "twice the sixth". Later, Christianity attached its dogmas to this designation and the year began to be considered bad for any undertakings, whether it be marriage or a change of residence. However, life did not stop people simply did not follow this prejudice fanatically.

Every four years comes leap year. And the reform of the chronology, in which time was counted in this way, was adopted under Gaius Julius Caesar. By the way, the month of July was named after him. The next to be immortalized in the corresponding month was Emperor Octavian Agust. This is how the name of the third and last summer month appeared. But, an odd number of days in any month was considered a good sign, therefore, in two summer months in a row for 30 days. It is understandable, can it be otherwise in the imperial months? The name February comes from the ancient Greek "febrium", which is interpreted as "purification". It was recommended to devote this entire period to spiritual purification, reflection on life and whether this or that person lives correctly. This is the month that sums up the results of the year. According to tradition, people had to communicate with the gods of the underworld, that is, those to whom they would go after death. This period made us think about the frailty and transience of earthly existence. After the popularization of Christianity, they imposed their traditions on the already established ones, so it was easier to "accustom" people to the new religion. And in February, Lent begins. Apparently then, so that nothing distracts from thoughts about the frailty and sinfulness of being. There is another explanation for this: stocks for the winter ran out corny, but it was impossible to cut livestock, because there would be no one to plow the land on in the spring. So it was necessary to find a good reason to starve.

In the far north, in an ice house, Mother Winter lived with her sons. The eldest son is December, the middle son is January and the youngest is February. Winter-Mother taught her children the mind and the craft of her winter. The first to comprehend all the wisdom of the case of the frosty eldest son - December. How to chain the rivers, how to weave a snowy carpet, how to manage the northern winds - you need to know everything, be able to do everything. January was the second to study. His Mother taught him to keep the severe frosts in check, to draw painted patterns on the windows, to dress the trees in fur coats, to crackle and tap in the forest at night. The turn of February came to be taken for science. Winter began to show the youngest of the sons what and how to do. But February was restless and windy, he quickly got bored with teaching, and then he said to Mother:
- Yes, I know how to keep severe frosts and how to call a strong blizzard, I heard it from my brothers! - and ran into the tag with blizzards and snowstorms to play.
Mother sighed and shook her head.
Well, let's take a look at your work.
Each of the brothers went to Earth for thirty days each to show what they had learned.
December was the first to leave the house. Mother Winter looks at his work - the soul rejoices. December comforts the eyes with snow, but tears the ear with frost. He knows everything, he can do everything - he will pave the road, and nail it, and give the sleigh a run. The smithy of the elder son is small, but he forges fetters for all rivers. Thirty days passed, December gave way to his brother - January. And now Mother is glad - January puts on a sheepskin coat to toe, paints tricky patterns on the windows, cracks at night - the ice on the river paints blue. If he blows snow into the fields, the bread will arrive. Did his job January, gave way in thirty days younger brother February. February came to earth with severe frosts, with severe winds. The frosts lasted for several days and suddenly - a thaw!
February is trying to freeze everyone and everything again, but he can’t - he has no strength, he doesn’t remember frost spells! Only old friends - blizzards and snowstorms swooped in, swirled, swept up the roads, saved from shame. So February worked - not with skill, so with cunning.
Either in January it will pull, then in March it will glance, then it will caress you with warmth, then it will beat it with frost. And for severe frosts, there was only enough strength at night. By the end of the month, February was completely exhausted, tired, there was no strength to fight the heat.
Winter came to his aid - Mother:
- Give your older brothers a day!

So February did. Since then, December and January have ruled the earth for 31 days, and February - only 28. And once every four years, Mother Winter gives younger son one more day - to see if he has gained strength, if he has enlightened to frosty science. But no - this is how the fickle February winds with snowstorms and blizzards in a round dance, a thaw on one side, frost and a snowstorm on the other.

28.02.2008
Vasily Pankov, 11 years old,
drew Bakhareva Nastya 8 years old, Pinchugina Julia 8 years old,
Ustinova Sonya 8 years old, Chebardakov Lenya 8 years old,
Tale of the competition "Reader!"

Responsible for the head of the department of meteorology

and Climatology SSU, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics

Science Mikhail Bogdanov:

February is the most unusual month of the year. It appeared on the calendar later than others, and the number of days in it has changed more than once. Initially, the ancient Roman calendar year began on March 1, was divided into ten months and lasted only 304 days. About 690 B.C. e. ruler ancient rome Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar. February was dedicated to the god of the underworld, Februus, and its name comes from the Latin word februare - "to purify". It became the last month of the year, so it had only 28 days.

In 46 BC. e. one more calendar reform held by Julius Caesar. The Julian calendar was based on a tropical year of 365.2422 days. But the calendar year must contain an integer number of days, so a cycle of four years was introduced: three simple years of 365 days each, and a fourth, leap year, 366. At the same time, the average duration of a calendar year of 365.25 days turns out to be quite close to a tropical year. Julius Caesar also ordered the number of days in months according to this principle: odd - 31 days, even - 30. February in a normal year was supposed to have 29, and in a leap year - 30 days. New calendar began to operate on January 1, 45 BC. e., but a year later Julius Caesar died, and an unfortunate mistake crept into the calendar - the Roman priests declared leap years not every fourth, but every third year. The situation was corrected by Emperor Augustus. In gratitude for this, the Roman Senate in 8 BC. e. renamed the month sextilis to augustus. But it had 30 days, and the ancient Romans believed that even numbers bring bad luck. Therefore, another day was added to August, taking it away from February. Since then, February has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years.

February is the shortest month of the year, in leap years it has 29 days, and in other years - 28. AiF.ru figured out why this happened.

Roman heritage

The calendar by which we live came to us from Ancient Rome. Initially, it had ten months, and the year began in March. King Numa in the 8th century BC. I decided to put the calendar in order so that it would be more in line with the phases of the moon and the movement of the sun. As a result of the reform, two additional months were introduced - January and February.

During the reign Julius Caesar it was established that even months should last 30 days, and odd ones - 31. February, which then fell at the end of the year, did not get the required number of days. As a result, this winter month received at its disposal only 29 days. In 44 BC. e. the popular ruler dies, and the new Roman administration decides to rename the month of July Quintilis in his honor. Subsequently, who died in 14 BC. e. Emperor Octavian Augustus also honored with a nominal month. Since August and July followed each other, they had a different number of days in those days. Officials for political reasons decided to equalize the merits of both rulers up to 31 days. This approach required borrowing an extra day from another month. A strong-willed decision to "pin off" the day was decided in February. The choice was explained, most likely, by the fact that this month had a bad reputation among the Romans, since it was at this time of the year that it was customary to commemorate the dead.

Why does February have 28 or 29 days?

The system of leap years, in which not 365, but 366 days, was also introduced by Julius Caesar. This was done so that the calendar year would correspond to the period of rotation of the Earth around the Sun, which is 365.25 days (365 days and 6 hours). To do this, it is necessary to increase the number of days in the calendar by one every four years. The choice for ease of remembering again fell on February, since at that time it was the last month of the year.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Have you tried to increase the number of days in February?

Yes, they tried. In 1930, the possibility of introducing a revolutionary Soviet calendar that included February 30 was discussed in the USSR, but the proposal was not accepted.

signs of february

In February, severe frosts - a short winter.

Long February icicles promise a long winter.

February is cold and dry - August is hot.

Warm February brings cold spring.

In February, there is a lot of frost on the trees - there will be a lot of honey.

If February is rainy, then spring and summer can be expected the same, and if it is weathery, then this portends a drought.

The beginning of February is more serene - and expect an early spring, more beautiful.

The colder the last week of February, the warmer it is in March.

Everyone knows that February is the shortest month of the year. Moreover, every four years it becomes a day longer, but even then it does not reach the usual month of 30 days. Why is that? Why was February deprived of days and its duration is 28 days?

At the heart of the modern, so-called Gregorian calendar, are more ancient, related to the era ancient Rome. From there, the modern names of the months, from there the number of days in each month, when even and odd months alternate in the number of days - either 30 or 31. And from there, a short February with its 28 days.

From the beginning of the existence of the Roman state, the calendar of the ancient Romans had ten months, and the calendar year lasted 304 days. The year itself started in March. The length of the months was chaotic and varied from region to region. King Numa decided to put the calendar in order so that it would be more in line with the phases of the moon and the movement of the sun. Two additional months were introduced - January and February. Months alternated in duration from 30 days to 31. February, which remained at the end of the year, was deprived, and received 29 days at its disposal - this was the only way to link the movements of the luminaries and the calendar developed by the Romans.

The calendar turned out to be more convenient than the previous one and lasted until the reign of Julius Caesar. However, this calendar was not absolutely accurate either - by the period of the reign of Julius Caesar, the difference between the calendar and the actual year had reached too large a value. The calendar had to be reformed again. As a result, a system of leap years appeared, in which every four years one day was added to February, and the beginning of the year shifted to January. The calendar year approached the real, astronomical one, more in line with the movement of the moon and the sun.

One of the months, July, was named after Julius Caesar. It is said that Emperor Octavian Augustus, overwhelmed with vanity, decided to perpetuate his name in the calendar. Immediately after July comes the month of August, in which there are also 31 days, like in July - this is a whim of a conceited emperor who did not want to be at least in some way less than his predecessor. And he took an extra day for a month in his honor, as you understand, all from the same long-suffering February. Perhaps this is why February has 28 days and even in leap years it never reaches the minimum of 30 days.

However, it is possible that this is just a medieval story. Part of modern researchers, referring to documents ancient era, it is believed that August originally consisted of 31 days, and February was made 28 days in order to more accurately match the calendar to astronomical data.