Happy Leap Day!
Here’s a quick summary from The History Channel why we get this extra day every 4 years:
“While the modern calendar contains 365 days, the actual time it takes for Earth to orbit its star is slightly longer—roughly 365.2421 days. The difference might seem negligible, but over decades and centuries that missing quarter of a day per year can add up. To ensure consistency with the true astronomical year, it is necessary to periodically add in an extra day to make up the lost time and get the calendar back in synch with the heavens.”
Did you know there are other traditions associated with this day?
Women proposing to men on Leap Day was ‘allowed’ by St Patrick in 5th Century Ireland. This spread to Scotland and England and so on. It is known as Bachelor Day by many. Women can propose whenever they choose now in modern cultures, but it has become a fun twist to do it on Leap Day. Especially since it is still the more accepted norm for the men to do the asking.
Greek culture long believed Leap Day to be bad day for wedding vows. Whether due to this superstition or simply not wanting to miss anniversaries, it’s still not a popular day to get married in Greece.
The odds of being born on Leap Day are about 1-in-1,461, and those who get that distinction are known as Leaplings. There are special celebrations organized by the roughly 5 million people who share this birthday phenomenon around the world.
There has even been a special drink curated for this once every four years occasion.
According to The Savoy Cocktail Book: “This Cocktail was created by Harry Craddock, for the Leap Year celebrations at the Savoy Hotel, London, on February 29th, 1928. It is said to have been responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed.”
Enjoy your bonus day! Wish a Leapling a happy birthday, have a special cocktail (or mocktail), make a proposal or create your own tradition that flips the script on a social norm.
It’s only once every 4 years, have some fun with it!
Cassandra Complex 