In all the elements, February oozes with happiness and warmth, even though it tends to be a chilly time of year.

Facts:

Astrological signs — Aquarius and Pisces

Birthstone — Amethyst

Color — Purple, a blend of deep violet and red to a lighter lilac hue

Flowers — Violet and primrose

Bird — Indigo Bunting

Trees — Cedar, cypress, pine and poplar

Days observed — Ground Hog Day, Valentine’s Day, Washington’s birthday, Lincoln’s birthday, Leap Year

February’s astrological signs of Aquarius is the 11th sign in the zodiac and is the water bearer. The zodiac element is air. Aquarius people are humanitarians. The astrological sign of Pisces is the 12th sign in the zodiac and is the fish. The zodiac element is water. Pisces are very friendly people.

February’s birthstone is amethyst, which is a meditative, calming stone that works on the emotional, spiritual and physical planes. It promotes balance and peace while eliminating impatience.

The month’s color is purple, a blend of deep violet and red to a lighter lilac hue. It symbolizes power, nobility and ambition, with an air of wealth and extravagance. Purple is creativity, mystery, independence, wisdom and magic.

The flowers of February are the violet and primrose. The violet symbolizes watchfulness, loyalty and faithfulness, while primrose lets someone know you can’t live without them.

The bird of the month is the Indigo Bunting. It’s a small seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, but instead of being red it’s blue. This bird is good, truth and love with spiritual origins.

The trees of February are many, from the 1st to the 3rd of the month is the cypress and symbolizes faithfulness. Cypress people are strong, content and take life as it comes. The 4th to the 8th is the poplar, which is the symbol of uncertainty. Poplar people are lonely, choosy and not self-confident. The 9th to the 18th is the cedar, which is confidence. Cedar people are rare beauty and good health. The 19th to the 28th is the pine, which symbolizes particular. Pine people tend to love agreeable company, are robust and very active. The 29th is poplar, also.

Groundhog Day is the first holiday of the month. This is on Candlemas Day, the halfway mark between winter solstice and spring equinox, which is the first day of spring. When the day started to be observed in Europe, the Germans brought a hedgehog to the mix, while back east the groundhog was used. If the animal’s shadow was seen due to the bright, sunny day, there would be six more weeks of winter. If the day was dark and cloudy, spring would come soon.

Then, of course, the second holiday in February is Valentine’s Day, the day of love. In ancient times, February meant to purify; Rome had festivities to re-establish righteous living, but in current times the focus has been changed to love

The third holiday observed is Presidents Day, which is a combination of Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday. During Washington’s time in office as the first president of the United States, there was the War of Independence. This war gave us political independence from Great Britain and formed the United States of America. As the 16th president of the United States, Lincoln abolished slavery; he was assassinated shortly after. The South wanted their own nation and to keep slavery, bu the North totally disagreed. This conflict brought about the Civil War. These two presidents are a celebrated combination because of their belief in freedom, which is one of the principles that make this nation great. It’s scary to ponder the condition of the nation if these presidents hadn’t fought for it.

The last day observed in February every four years is the 29th, known as Leap Year. Research tells me this is a corrective measure, because the earth doesn’t revolve around the sun in precisely 365 days. The Gregorian calendar is a modification of the Julian calendar used by the Romans.

The whole month of February speaks of wellness, such as getting rid of impatience, being stress free, having wisdom, loyalty, faithfulness and showing love. What better traits for a person to attain.

• By Bonnie Marie Playle