Why Does February Have Only 28 Days? The Interesting History Explained

Among all 12 months in the calendar, February is unique.

Most months have 30 or 31 days — but February usually has only 28.

Have you ever wondered who decided this and why?

Originally, the ancient Roman calendar had only 10 months — from March to December.

In 713 BC, Roman King Numa Pompilius added January and February, making it 12 months.

The lunar calendar had 354 days — an even number, considered unlucky by Romans.

So they added one extra day, making the year 355 days, and kept most months with odd numbers (29 or 31 days).

Since one month had to remain even, February — the last month then — was given 28 days.

February was also considered a month to honor the dead and was seen as unlucky.

Later, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar to 365 days based on Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

To balance the solar year, Leap Year was introduced — adding one extra day to February every 4 years!