Friday Favorites: Happy (almost) Leap Day!
Take a flying leap
We usually encourage you to “Please, go away!” But today, in honor of leap day, we’re imploring you to “Take a flying leap!”
If you’ve been waiting four long years for February 29th to come around again, now’s the time to celebrate—by taking a trip! An extra day once every four years doesn’t really give you that much more time to travel, but we’ll find any excuse to get out and about.
First, some information: Each year is actually 365 days plus about 6 hours. An additional day is added to the calendar every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the seasonal year. Thanks to this quirk of the earth’s orbit—and the combined efforts of Roman Emperor Julius Caesar and 16th-century Pope Gregory XIII (of Gregorian Calendar fame)—we tack on that extra day to the end of February to create a leap year. But neither Caesar nor the Pope could have predicted the weird and wonderful celebrations and superstitions that have arisen because of it.
Leap year traditions, celebrations, and superstitions can be found the world over. If you’re thinking about taking a trip (or trips) this year, you might want to plan accordingly. Some countries consider leap years lucky, while others see them as cursed. To help you plan, here are some places to go in a leap year—and a few to avoid.
Places to Travel in a Leap Year:
Ireland
It’s an old Irish tradition for women to propose marriage to men on Leap Day. The origins are debated— some say that in the 5th century, St Brigid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in the same way that leap day balances the calendar. Regardless of where it came from, it’s a great excuse to travel to Ireland this year. Especially if you’re ready to “put a ring on it”! Whoa, oh, oh, oh!
(In Scotland, it was a rule that women must only propose wearing a “red petticoat,” assuming you happen to have one of those laying around.)
Denmark
In Denmark, the tradition is similar, although the proposal should take place on February 24th in a leap year, not the 29th. And if the woman is rejected, the man owes her 12 pairs of gloves. (Maybe one of those could be boxing gloves so she can punch him for rebuffing her? Oh, wait, maybe that’s Boxing Day?) The purpose of the gloves? So that the woman can wear them to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. During the middle ages there were laws governing this tradition.*
Germany
When it’s a leap year, girls in Germany can make an arboreal expression of their ardor by leaving a decorated birch tree on their crush’s doorstep. (But isn’t that just a Christmas tree? Cue “O Tannenbaum.”)
Finland
Finland is another country with a female proposal tradition on leap year. However, if the man says no, he owes the woman fabric for a skirt. (What is it with the clothing compensations?)
USA
Anthony, Texas, is the self-proclaimed “Leap Year Capital of the World.” Each Leap Day, it holds a four-day festival that includes a big birthday party for all leap year babies (non-leap year babies welcome).
Places Not to Travel in a Leap Year:
Scotland
We’re sorry to inform you that if you are a shepherd, it’s best not to travel to Scotland this year—at least not with your flock. According to legend, “Leap year was ne’er a good sheep year” in Scotland.
Greece
Rumor has it that it’s bad luck to marry in a leap year in Greece. Apologies to those counting on a Mama Mia!-inspired wedding in 2020. Opa!
Italy
Italians have a phrase “anno bisesto, anno funesto” or “leap year, doom year.” There are many theories as to the origin of this, but it’s thought that everything from natural disasters to erratic behavior in women can be seen during years with a leap day in them.
Russia
Here, leap years are considered times of bad luck. As with Greece, marriage is out of the question in a leap year, as is buying a house. And like Italy, these years are said to bring climactic extremes and general gloom and doom. (Might just be climate change, though.)
Taiwan
Taiwan is another place to avoid on leap day. Parents are thought to be more likely to die during a leap year, so some daughters return home around February 29th to bring pig trotter noodles and wish their mothers and fathers good health and fortune. And, as we all know, nothing says “I care” quite like a pig trotter.
Leap Year fun facts:
La Bougie du Sapeur is a comical French newspaper that was first published in 1980, and only publishes once every four years—making it the least frequently published newspaper of all time. The name translates to “sapper’s candle,” which comes from an old French comic book character who was born on leap day.
When you are born on February 29, you automatically get entered into an exclusive club that only consists of those born on leap day. The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, which got its start in 1997, connects through Facebook and even sends out leap day news and events.
*In some places, leap day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. Many claim that Queen Margaret of Scotland passed a law in 1288 requiring the men who refused a proposal to pay a fine.
