February...you give me Fever

Vintage Valentine

Cue the rhythmic finger snapping in 4/4 time: snap--snap--snap--snap--

"Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever! in the morning
Fever all through the night..." 

Fever! Peggy Lee's sultry voice will forever be connected with this sensuous song. Experience it for yourself via this YouTube video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8  

So what does Fever have to do with February? This month of groundhogs, Valentines, presidents, and civil rights activists, has a name we trace back to its Roman origins. It originally honored Februus, the god of purification, and marked the time of year when spring purification ceremonies were held. Spring? Spring? Did someone say Spring? Sounds to me like a little wishful thinking on the part of those ancient Romans...but perhaps spring came earlier there. Of course February 2nd was

Faun and Nymph, about 1615, Peter Paul Rubens

Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow which means an early spring...except it was sunny here in Edenton, North Carolina--so does that mean our spring will be late? Sorry, I digress. Anyway, getting back to Februus--one means of purification is by fire and heat and thus Febris, goddess of fever, came to be. The heat of a fever does, in fact, help to purify by killing off infection which is why we are advised to not take steps to lower a fever unless the fever itself has gone so high it is, in itself, dangerous. 

Another celebration about the same time of year which included ritual purification was that of Lupercalia. That day honored the god Faun, so Faun and Februus were often thought of as the same being. Hmmm. Somehow I just don't usually connect Faun with purity. Lupercalia also honored the she-wolf who nursed the founders of Rome -- Romulus and Remus. Not sure how all that relates, but there you have it. 

Februus's festival of purification, known as Februalia, fell on the 15th of the month. That means it's exactly one day following that traditional celebration of feverish romance, Valentine's Day. I shall say no more.

Peggy Lee

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! 

Kate (snap--snap--snap--snap...)

The Two-Faced Month...that's January for you

Coca Cola Calendar 1901

For thirty-one days a year, every year, we date our letters and signatures with the word "January"-- most of us, I imagine, not giving it a second thought. But what exactly is a "January" other than the name we give the first month of our calendar year? What exactly is a "February" for that matter? I decided it was high time I stopped blindly and blithely writing the names next to mine without finding out what they meant.

Once you get to September, the months have quite mundane origins in that they only represent their numerical position on the original Roman calendar invented by King Romulus in 753 BC. Since that calendar began with March, September was the seventh month and comes from the Latin for "seven"-- septem. October was the eighth month (octo,) November the ninth (novem) and December, the tenth (decem.)  This first calendar did not take the winter months into consideration and so did not work very well. Who knows, maybe they thought if they just ignored them, they'd go away. Since that method didn't rid the world of winter but did cause undo confusion, King Numa Pompilius added two more months and January and February were born in 700 BC. 

Head of Janus, Vatican Museum, photo by By Loudon Dodd
(via Wikimedia Commons)

But what of the name January? That's where it gets more interesting and a lot more creative. January (or Januarias in the Roman style) is named for the Roman god, Janus. Janus, most often portrayed as having a face on both sides of his head--one looking forward and one looking backward--is the god of beginnings and endings. Quite appropriate for our first month of the year. Janus represents passages and transitions as well, both physical and psychological. He represents the passage from childhood to maturity, the dark of night to the light of day, the beginnings of life and the transitions to death. He is the god of gates and doorways and all they symbolize. When Rome was at war the gate to Janus's temple was open and when at peace the gate was closed. Janus is seen presiding over the beginning of marriages, planting, and harvests. So, as we tear open the cellophane wrappers on our brand new calendars, give a nod to our

Temple of Janus,1748, Giovanni Battista Piranesi

ancestors' acknowledgement of the symbolic importance of recognizing transitions and passages in our lives. That puts Janus in his place.

February? Well, I'll wait until next month to tell you about it but I'll give you a clue. Remember the song Fever made famous by Peggy Lee in the 1950s? Think about it.

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! 

Kate