Learn more about the customs that come with the extra day (just not this year)
By DEVANSHI AGNIHOTRI —- arts@theaggie.org
Mark your calendars for Feb. 29 — a phrase that can only be said every four years. A leap year contains 366 days instead of 365 days, with the extra day being Feb. 29. A year must be divisible by four to be a leap year. But if the year is a century year, it must be divisible by 400 in order to be a leap year.
The history of the leap year traces back to Julius Caesar, who is known as the “Father of Leap Year.” In 45 B.C.E., the Romans had to create a 22 or 23-day month every second year in order to keep festivals occurring around the same season each year. As a solution, Caesar created the 365-day calendar, introducing the idea of a day being added to February every four years.
But what if you were born on Feb. 29? When a person’s birthday is on leap day, they have the privilege to flaunt the title of being a “leapling,” as well as having the rarest birthday of the year. Although their actual birthday is celebrated every four years, they still have the option to celebrate their birthday on either Feb. 28 or Mar. 1. So, this year, make sure to show your friends missing a birthday a little extra love.
Some parts of the world do not hold an appreciation for leap years.
For example, in Italy, leap years are viewed as unlucky. “Anno bisesto, anno funesto” is an Italian proverb that translates to “Leap year, disastrous year.” This Italian consensus on leap year encourages you to avoid big purchases and events during the leap year. Greece is also letting out a sigh of relief as they hold a superstition that marriages during the leap year have bad luck. Additionally, a divorce during a leap year could ultimately mean never finding love again.
All this to say, these superstitions are merely based on beliefs that have yet to be factually proven, so don’t stress that an extra day in the year heightens the probability of bad things coming your way.
However, if you are in Ireland or Scotland, the next couple of years might be years of yearning. In these countries, a leap day is known as Bachelor’s Day or Ladies Privilege, a day when women propose to their lovers. This holiday goes all the way back to 1288 A.D. when women were granted the ability to propose after it was legal to do so.
Some places might be preparing their celebrations for 2028, due to the excitement the leap year brings in its anticipation. In France, a satirical newspaper called La bougie du Sapeur is published every Feb. 29, making it the world’s only quadrennial newspaper.
Anthony, Texas holds the title of “Leap Year Capital of the World” and shares the title with Anthony, New Mexico. The town straddles both of the two states’ borders and hosts a leap year festival every leap year. This title originates from local leaplings approaching the Chamber of Commerce in 1988 with the idea of hosting a leap year birthday club and festival. Birthday celebrations and parades commemorate the day and celebrate the “leaplings” of the town.
The extra day that leap year provides warrants an extra celebration in the year to celebrate those around you and even some whose birthday parties will actually take their rightful place. Mark your calendars for 2028 to celebrate leaplings and the extra day in store.
Written by: Devanshi Agnihotri—arts@theaggie.org
