February 2004

Black History Month

Black History Month is the successor to Negro History Week which was initiated on February 12, 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a pre-eminent historian and fonder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and history.  Woodson’s concerned that the contributions of Black Americans were overlooked or misrepresented and he began lobbying for Negro history Week as early as 1915.  He selected February because it included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14) whom he believed had dramatically impacted the lives of Black Americans.  In 1976, Woodson’s legacy, now renamed the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, successfully lobbied to extend Black history Week into a month-long observance.

February 1

Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslin calendar.  It concludes the Pilgrimage to Mecca.   Eid al-Adha last for three days and commemorates Ibraham’s (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son.  Muslims believe the son to be Ishmael rather than Isaac as told in the Old Testament.  Ishmael is considered the forefather of the Arabs.  According to the Koran, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.

February 2

Candlemas Day

Celebrates the presentation of the baby Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem 40 days after his birth.  This day is now combined with candlelight marches in preparation for planting in the fields.

Groundhog Day

Folklore suggests that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.

February 12

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

He was born in 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky.  His parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families.  His mother, who died when he was ten, was of a family of the name of Hanks. 

He married Mary Todd, and then had four boys, only one of whom lived to maturity.  In 1885 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator.  He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860.  As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization.  On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.

February 14

Valentine’s Day

The origins of Valentine’s Day are uncertain.  Many believe that is originated with Lupercalia, a Roman celebration honoring the wolves Romulus and Temjus.  During this festival, young men struck women with a goatskin hide called a fbrua.  Receiving the blows was thought to make women more fertile and to ease childbirth.   Modern day customs include sending greeting cards know as valentines to loved ones.

February 16

President’s Day began with passage of Public Law 90-363 in 1968.  This legislation moved the legal observance of George Washington’s birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February.  Since Washington’s Birthday fell so soon after Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12), many states chose to combine the two events into President’s Day. Other states honor all former presidents on this day.

February 22

George Washington’s Birthday

He was born in 1732 and died on December 14, 1799.  On April 30, 1789, George Washington, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. 

February 24

Mardi Gras or fat Tuesday is a boisterous celebration held annually on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the season of Lent begins in the western Christian liturgical calendar.  The actual date varies from year to year since it depends on the date of Easter.

February 25

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent in the western Christian liturgical year.  Lent is a season of spiritual discipline, cleansing, and fasting, which occurs in the forty days (excluding Sundays which are not considered part of Lent) before Easter.  On Ash Wednesday, a priest or pastor marks a cross on the foreheads of parishioners.  The ashes are obtained from the burned palms used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration. This ritual is blessed with a passage from Genesis 3:19: "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The ashes symbolize repentance and purification.

February 29

Leap Year/Leap Day

A leap year is a year in which an extra day is added to the calendar in order to synchronize it with the seasons.  Since the tropical year is 365.24290 days long, a leap year must be added roughly once every four years.  In a leap year, the extra day (known as a leap day) is added at the end of February, giving it 29 instead of the usual 28 days.