The solar year is approximately 365.24 days long, so there is not an even number of days, we therefore ignore that quarter of the day 3 times until it is inserted back into the year to make up for this.
A Leap Year is celebrated differently around the world and holds many superstitions both happy and harmful. A tradition that started in Ireland was that the woman can propose to the man only on a leap day. This is said to create a balance to the roles of men and women much like the balance that a leap year creates with the calendar. This is the same in many European countries. In some cases, If the man refused, he was supposed to pay a penalty, such as a gift or money, or in Denmark, 12 pairs of gloves for her to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring.
On the contrary to luck and love, it is considered unlucky in Scotland to be born on a Leap day and unlucky in Greece to marry on a leap day. In Italy in the Roman times, February was associated with the dead, and a leap year was a prolongation of an already morbid month, instilling an aura of bad luck around February 29th to this day, many choose not to get engaged, have children, or buy houses at all on a leap year. The same goes for Russia, who associate leap years with freak weather and a higher risk of dying. In Taiwan, parents are thought to be more at risk of dying in a leap year and their daughters must bring pig trotter noodles to their parents to with them good health.
On the Texas-Mexico border in 1988, Mary Ann Brown and Birdie Lewis, both leap babies, asked for the introduction of a leap day festival in 1988. Anthony is now the ‘Leap Year Capital of the World’, with a four day long affair that has become global. This festival includes a guided trip to Aztec Caves and square dancing, among other things.
Many countries have a different calendar to our Gregorian model and so adjust their calendar differently. In the Jewish calendar, months are based on the phases of the Moon. A new month begins on the day of the Crescent Moon after the New Moon phase. In a Jewish leap year, which corresponds to a frequency of every 2 to 3 years, an extra month is added called Adar. This is said to be a lucky and happy month. This Lunisolar based leap month is also used in Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Buddhist, Hindu and many others cultures.
In any case, a leap day is a day of rarity. Whether it is the perfect time for a woman to propose or whether it is extremely unlucky to be born or get married on a leap year, it is significant. Some people write themselves a letter every February 29th to remind them of where they were four years earlier. So maybe attempt something you’ve never tried before or visit somewhere you wouldn’t usually go! Why not make it a tradition…
Feature Image Credits: Canva (house, moon, heart, skull, ring), Twemogie (pig, boot, moon, world, gloves), gstudioimagen (pram,), azadaquib from Pixabay (storm cloud) - Made on Canva
