February - the right time for the coronavirus

It's the first Saturday of a new month - which means I get to do the Tales for Tots for the under threes at the English library. This time round, I had a helper for two of the four stories: Günther, a recently retired English teacher, who now helps run the library as a volunteer. From what he said last time round, I knew he was dying to read a story or two and though he did protest a few times, I could tell he was willing. 

Well, he loved it. He had a cluster of little girls sitting in front of him with their noses practically in the book and squealing and pointing to things in the pictures. 

Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me later on in the day, that I had no idea why February was called February. I know about Janus, the two-faced god portrayed above the entrance to the home, one facing out, one facing in. But February?

Well, it seems it might well be the right month to fight infections as the month was named after Februa or Februatio, which was a Roman festival that took place on the 13th to 15th days of the month. During this time, ritual purification took place. So it was a time of cleaning, washing and purging. 

And as Wikipedia points out: "Some sources connect the Latin word for fever (febris) with the same idea of purification or purging, due to the sweating commonly seen in association with fevers."

So let's hope that February helps all febrile people.