Leap Year 2016
So we made it through Valentine’s day…… I hope it was great or bearable for you depending on your own particular relationship with that day!
So now what does the rest of this short month of February have in store for us?
It is a leap year this year so we all get one extra day, February 29th 2016.
I don’t know what today’s people think about the most well know tradition associated with leap year days.
The 29th February tradition is that every leap year day women propose marriage to men.
Do you think it is outdated/sexist/cute or if you have even heard of it?
I do imagine that there will be some apprehensive lads out there that day. Now, whether they are waiting desperately to be asked or will be avoiding all contact on that day is the question!
Leap Day customs & traditions.
The Irish take on this tradition is that St Brigid agreed with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every four years.
Which was nice of them!
Many countries called the leap day “Bachelor’s Day” for a man was expected to pay a penalty if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. This penalty was usually paid in money or clothes, lots of pairs of gloves usually, so that the unfortunate dejected lady would not suffer the indignation of showing off her bare finger.
The leap year is something that happens due to our orbit around the sun and the inconvenient fact that it takes 365 and a quarter days to complete one full orbit. This means that every 4 years we have a day extra. There was a more convoluted way of handling this extra time but then when Caesar came to power approx 2,000 years ago he ordered that a better way be found. Since that time we have had a regular pattern of leap years, the last leap year was 2012 and the next leap day will be the 29th February 2020. Simple!
Free day!
I have always regarded leap days as a gift of extra time and so I generally try to make that day a bit special, make the most of this little solar quirk. This usually involves not working and heading off somewhere.
Any plans to mark your “Free” day?
Take a leap!
It is becoming more and more common for people to call leap days as “take a leap” day.
This is a day when people do something adventurous (for them), so whether this means taking up a zumba class, learning French or starting a new career this is the day they “take the leap”.
Great sentiment!