February, the shortest month of the year, how was the length of each month determined on the calendar?

February is the shortest month of the year, it only has 28 days and every four years 24 more hours are added, in leap years.

Counting time, marking the days, months and years, is a human invention that tries to follow the lunar cycles -more or less 29.5 days between full moons-, and solar cycles, more or less 365.25 days for the Earth. revolve around the Sun.

But it is a count that is subject to manipulation. Different rulers throughout history divided the year into months (not always 12) and added and removed days from those months according to their political and economic needs, or their personal whims.

However, the alignment of these calendars with the solar year was a requirement that could not be ignored.

Julian calendar

Emperor Julius Caesar, almost 2,000 years ago, imposed a calendar very similar to the one we use today. The so-called Julian calendar alternated the 12 months with 30 and 31 days, starting the year in March, because it was the beginning of spring, and leaving February limping with 28 days or 29 days.

The leap year has been marked since those Roman times to synchronize the calendar year of 365 days to the solar year of approximately 365.25 days, that is, 365 days and six hours.

Gregorian calendar

That calculation worked for centuries, but it is not exact. The solar year is actually a slightly shorter: 11 minutes and 14.784 seconds, to be precise. It’s not a difference that can make an immediate impact, but over the years, the gap is noticeable.

Because Pope Gregory XIII interceded with his calendar in 1582, to “correct” the discrepancy. It was done mainly for religious reasons, since the March equinox, which marks the beginning of Easter, had been displaced by three days over the centuries. This Gregorian calendar is divided into three types of years: the common year of 365 days, the leap year with 366 days and the secular year, which is a year that closes the century.

The Pope determined that the year would have 12 months and 365 days, but every four years an extra day would be added in February. (YO)