The God of February: Roman Calendar Changes & Purification Rituals

The God of February

The FEBRUUS is an ancient Italic god of purification. It intertwines the evocative 19th-century art of Luigi Bazzani with the historical records of the Roman poet Ovid. It focuses on rituals, mysteries, and monuments associated with February 1st, also known in the Roman calendar as the kalends of February.

How is the name February as a month?

January is named after Janus, the god of new beginnings. March is named after Mars, the god of war. And what about February? February is the month of FEBRUUS, the god of purification.

The Artistic Lens: Luigi Bazzani

The Italian painter Luigi Bazzani and his 1887 work, Decorating Temple. Bazzani was celebrated for archaeologically accurate paintings of ancient Roman ruins. By referencing this artwork, these set a visual stage. Bazzani's works help us visualize the immense care and vibrant colors.

Ovid and the kalends of February.

The core of the historical information comes from Ovid, a master Roman poet who lived during the reign of EmperorAugustus.

February is a significant month for Romans. Its name derives from februum, meaning purification. February was extremely pleasing to the spiritual honoring of the dead, cleaning, and preparing for the new year in March.

The Military Impact on the Calendar

In ancient Rome, the government worked in a very organized manner. Every year, government officials like consuls would start their jobs on 1st March and finish on February 28th or 29th. This was the tradition that the Romans had been following for a long time.

But then, between the 150s and 130s BC, some big changes happened. These changes happened because Rome was fighting in Spain. These Spanish military campaigns were tough and required planning and preparation for fighting.

Now, as we know, armies do not fight in the cold season. Military campaigns in those days would begin in March or April. When the weather gets hot, the ice and snow melt, and soldiers march and move freely. Weather played a big role in military campaigns.

The big problem: Roman commanders were taking charge of their duties on March 1st, which was almost the same time the military campaigns were supposed to begin. This gave no time to prepare their armies, plan their strategy, and organize their troops. Roman commanders felt like joining a new school today and being told their exam is the very next day.

So, the Roman government wanted and decided to make a change. They are military commands.

The solution: they decided to reorganize the calendar itself. Previously, the Roman calendar had January and February as the 11th and 12th months, meaning they came at the end of the year. The Romans decided to shift these two months to the start of the year, making them the first and second months because government officials and military commanders would now take charge on January 1st instead of March 1st.

The shift gave Roman commanders 60 extra days, that is 2 full months, and this made a huge difference on the battlefield because they prepared their army camps before the fighting season began in March or April.

The Funny Situation of the Shifting Months

However, this calendar change also created a funny situation that we will see today. Since January and February were moved to the front, all the other months got pushed back by two positions.

This is why:

• September, which literally means month number 7, is now the 9th month.

• October, the 8th month, is now the 11th month.

• November means the 9th month,but now it is the 11th month.

• December means the month number 10, but it is now the 12th month.

Ovid's description of February's purification Rituals.

The famous Roman poet Ovid, in his brilliant work called the Fasti, explains the meaning and importance of February in ancient Rome. He says that February was not just an ordinary month; it was a month of purification and cleaning.

 

IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE

Ovid begins by telling us that the ancient Roman fathers called purification FEBRUA, the name from which the month gets its name, which this month we discussed above.

Ovid then gives several examples to prove this point. He tells us that the high priests of Rome would ask important religious figures, the King and the flamen, for woolen clothes.

These woolen clothes were called FEBRUUS in this ancient language and were used for purification purposes. Even religious leaders participate in these cleaning rituals.

Not just priests, but even modern houses were cleaned during this time. Ovid mentions that roasted grains and salt were used to purify homes, and these items were also called by the same name, Februa.

But now we use certain items like Neem holy water or needles to purify our home during religious occasions.

Ovid also mentions that branches cut from a pure tree were used in purification rituals. Women also actively took part in these religious practices because these branches were used to create what priests wore on their heads during religious ceremonies. The wife of the Priest, called the flaminica, was given a branch of a pine tree when she asked for a purification item.

Ovid summarizes his main point very simply by saying that anything used to purify the human body was given the title FEBRUA by the ancestors.

He also gives people two possible reasons why this particular month was chosen for purification.

1. The first reason is connected to the Luperci, a group of Roman priests who would cleanse the earth using strips of animal hide during their festival.

2. The second reason is that this was the time when Romans paid their respects to the dead.

Finally,

Ovid makes a very interesting point. The Romans believed that every sin and every evil could be removed through purification rituals. The idea did not even originally belong to Rome. Greece had set this example first, said by Ovid, believing that guilty people could rid themselves of their sin by going through a proper purification ceremony.