Life Development Institute believes that emersion in community and the inclusion of all its members is what makes the most out of what we have been given in our world.  In fact, those among us who carry some of the most unique traits often produce world-changing results.  Similarly, every month works together to form our calendar, and each one contains its own celebrations of the history and mystery of times that have come before.  As we enter February, LDI wanted to show some facts about this month’s unique holidays and celebrations.

February, the second month on our calendar, is observed as both Black History Month and American Hearth Month.  The birthstone for the month is Amethyst, and the monthly flower is the Violet.  Both Aquarius and Pisces find presence in February.  For the year 2016, the holidays and celebrations are as follows:

February 2nd: Groundhog Day

  • Groundhog Day comes at the midway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.
  • Groundhog Day shares its day with the Christian holiday of Candlemas Day.
  • On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil from Punxsutawney, PA emerges to find his shadow. If it is sunny and he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.  If it is cloudy and does not see his shadow, spring is on its way.
  • Groundhog Day was first celebrated on February 2, 1887.

 

February 3rd: National Signing Day

  • Wait, what is this? Get ready sports fan, the first Wednesday in February usually exists as the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country, and men’s water polo with a school that is a member of the NCAA.
  • April 13th, 2016 marks the regular signing period for basketball, baseball, volleyball, golf, swimming, and lacrosse)

 

February 4th: World Cancer Day

  • World Cancer Day was established on February 4th, 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium.
  • World Cancer Day was established by the Paris Charter in order to promote the research for curing as well as preventing the disease, to upgrade the provided services to the patients, the sensitization of the common opinion, and the mobilization of the global community against cancer.

 

February 5th: National Wear Red Day

  • Started in 2003, the National Wear Red Day strives to fight against heart disease and stroke in women.
  • Since that time, research and education to healthy lifestyle changes have resulted in at least 90% make one healthy behavior change, more than one-third has lost weight, and more than 50% have increased their exercise

 

February 7th: Super Bowl

  • This year marks the 50th Super Bowl, which is one of the most watched television events in the United States and displays the final championship game of the National Football League.

 

February 8th: Chinese New Year

  • This winter holiday was originally set as a time of preparation and was to coincide with the time just before a new year of farm work begins.
  • As such, Chinese New Year’s Day is the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. This means that it can land on a different day between January 21st and February 20th on the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that America uses.

 

February 9th: Mardi Gras

  • French for “Fat Tuesday,” this day exists as the last day before lent, which is a Christian period marked by prayer, repentance, fasting, and moderation.
  • The day is often associated with celebrations and indulgence, as lent includes dietary restrictions.

 

February 10th: Ash Wednesday

  • The start of lent begins with Ash Wednesday, a mainly Catholic observance in which foreheads are marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.

 

February 14th: Valentine’s Day

  • This is holiday originated in around the 14th or 15th century and is attributed to Saint Valentine who was martyred.
  • Valentine’s story is that Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade young men to marry because married men didn’t want to go to war. Valentine ignored this decree and was executed on February 14.
  • Doesn’t that make you feel the love?

 

February 15th: President’s Day

  • President’s Day was originally designed to celebrate the birth of George Washington and was voted on by Congress in 1880.
  • After enacting the Uniform Monday Bill in 1968, President’s Day combined the days celebrating George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays. The Uniform Monday Bill aimed to give workers as many long weekends as possible by standardizing holidays to Mondays.

 

February 21st: International Mother Language Day (IMLD)

  • IMLD is a worldwide annual observance to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
  • It was first announced by UNESCO in November, 1999 and then formerly recognized by the United Nations in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages

 

February 22nd: National Margarita Day

  • This day celebrates the margarita but encompasses the real meaning of friendship, good times, and memories of somewhere warmer.
  • Margaritas were the most popular drink in 2008, and the U.S. is the number one tequila market.