The month of February has so many exciting and interesting things going on. This year is a leap year, meaning we get an extra day out of February. February is Black History Month along with celebrating Valentines Day and Presidents Day. There is so much going on and a lot of people do not understand what some of these important days mean.

Leap Year: A Leap Year is when we have an extra day in February. To keep our modern day Gregorian calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun, we have what is known as a Leap Year where instead of 365 days out of a year we have 366 instead. Leap Year occurs every four years and the reason why February was chosen to have the Leap Day, is because it’s the only month without 30 or 31 days. 2020 is a leap year, and this month will have 29 days.

Black History Month: Black History Month celebrates African Americans and their achievements throughout history. At first, Black History Month was just a week known as “ Negro History Week.” The reason why February was chosen as the month to celebrate Black History Month is because both Abraham Lincoln(12th) and Fredrick Douglass’s (14th) birthdays. Their birthdays land within February and they were both big contributors to allowing African Americans to achieve their freedoms.

Valentine’s Day: Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love with your special someone. Valentine’s Day started with the Romans where they would have a celebration in the middle of February where boys would draw girls names out of a box. A lot of people celebrate Valentine’s Day differently whether it’s with their friends, with their loved ones, or relaxing by themselves. Valentine’s Day was originally meant for men, where their wives or girlfriends would give them gifts to show their love.

Presidents Day: Presidents Day is the third Monday of February. Presidents Day celebrates current and past Presidents of the United States. Presidents Day is also George Washington’s birthday, approximately. Only 24 states observe Presidents Day and West Virginia is not one. However, it is still considered a National Holiday.