FEBRUARY
February derives its name from Februare—to expiate, to purify. In this connection, it is interesting to note that on the 2nd of the month falls Candlemas Day, which is the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
CANDLEMAS DAY (February 2nd)
(a) If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight:
But if Candlemas Day brings clouds and rain,
Winter is gone and won't come again.
(b) If Candlemas Day be fine and clear,
Corn and fruits will then be dear.
(There'll be twa winters in the year.)
ST. VALENTINE'S DAY (February 14th).—Like so many of our old observances, the festival of St. Valentine dates from the time of the Romans, but the Church rechristened the custom and called it after one or two saints of the name, both of whom were martyred, one in the third and the other in the fourth century.
Latterly, the day has been dedicated to Cupid by fond lovers who believe it to be the date on which each bird chooses its mate.
The poet Drayton sings:—
Each little bird this tide
Doth choose her loved peer,
Which constantly abide
In wedlock all the year.
Charms and omens are in favor on St. Valentine's Eve. Maidens decorate their pillows with five bay leaves and firmly believe that, if they dream of their lover then, they will be married to him in the course of the year. Another fancy is that the first person of the opposite sex whom one encounters, that morning is destined to be one's husband or wife. Naturally, there must be some sort of friendship in view previously.
A weather prophecy regarding February runs:—
All the months in the year
Curse a fair Februeer.
February fill the dyke,
Weather, either black or white.
If February gives much snow,
A fine summer it doth foreshow.
In Cornwall, there is a proverb, "A February spring is not worth a pin," and the same thought is expressed in Wales by the saying that "The Welshman had rather see his dam on the bier than to see a fair Februeer."