EVERY four years we have a bonus day at the end of February, and whether you are celebrating a lengthier 2020 or not, 29 February is on its way.
The reason we have this monthly extension on our shortest month is to synchronise the Gregorian calendar with the solar year – without it we would lose six hours every year.
While many people know this, there are lots of fun and interesting facts about Leap Day that you might not know….
Exceptions to the rule
Leap years happen in years divisible by four, but century years are an exception to this rule. They must be divisible by 400 which is why 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 will not be one.
February lost out to ego
Under Julius Caesar, February had 30 days with July (his monthly namesake) celebrating 31 days. But, when Caesar Augustus became emperor, his month (August) was bumped up from 29 days to 31 days (making it equal to July) and February lost out on days.
Birthday odds are against you
People born on a Leap Day only get to celebrate every four days, but the odds of this happening are about 1 in 1 500.
However, for one Norwegian family, the odds were beaten three times.
Karin Henriksen gave birth to three children on consecutive Leap Days – 1960, 1964 and 1968. Another unusual coincidence happened for one British-born individual -James Wilson – a former Premier of Tasmania – who was both born on and died on 29 February (1812 to 1880).
Women get to propose
One tradition that is still celebrated in modern times is the shift in roles, with women encouraged to propose to their beloved on 29 February. This began during the time of Queen Margaret of Scotland in 1288 when, at the age of five, she came up with the concept. Women would even dress in male attire and, if a man did refuse the proposal, he would be fined a kiss, a silk dress or 12 pairs of gloves.
Not all good luck
For many cultures, Leap Day is not considered very lucky. In Taiwan, married daughters traditionally return home during leap month as it is believed it can bring bad health to parents. In Greece, many engaged couples won’t get married in a leap year, while in Russia it is believed a leap year is likely to bring more freak weather patterns and a greater risk of death.
Try the Leap Day cocktail
Invented by bartender, Harry Craddock, at London’s Savoy Hotel in 1928, the Leap Day cocktail is believed to be responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail. The original recipe is:
1 dash lemon juice
2/3 gin
1/6 Grand Marnier
1/6 sweet vermouth
Shake, serve, garnish with a lemon peel, and enjoy the mix of bittersweet flavours.
Cheers to Leap Day 2020!
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