February 14th and 15th
Valentine
"We come to mid-February with a variety of signs that reflect the reason. In the zodiac, Aquarius is about to give way to Pisces, water boy to fish, Uranus to Neptune. In the almanac, Winter is in its last month, come snow, sleet, or whatever the weather may bring. And on the calendar stands Saint Valentine's Day, festival of hearts and flowers, occasion of love tokens and romance.
In a way, Valentine's Day doesn't make sense in mid-February. Yet we treasure it in part for its contradictions. It was named for a saint, though nobody knows for sure which of seven, possibly eight, saints and martyrs gave it his name. It probably dates back to a forgotten Roman holiday, possibly linked with flowers though the only flowers in sight in the Northern Hemisphere are in the greenhouses. One legend says it marks the time when birds begin to mate, though the only birds we know who mate now are the gruff-voiced owls.
But here it is, a hope and a promise, and a good deal more reassuring than zodiacal fishes or almanac forecasts. It deals with Spring, with gentling April and bee-loud May. Its sentiments are warm and flowery. It has the smell of violets and the song of bluebirds. It is - well, it is February's love song to a Winter-weary world."
Hal Borland
"Twelve Moons of the Year"
February 1966
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