Back in the day (way back), a leap year meant that it was acceptable for a woman to ask a man to marry him (something quite unheard of, otherwise). The tradition is rooted in Ireland’s “Bachelor’s Day,” but is said to have originated from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick. The Irish nun of the sixth century, also known as Brigid of Kildare, is said to have pleaded with Saint Patrick that women needed a chance to propose to shy suitors. If the marriage proposal was refused, the man was expected to buy the woman a silk gown or twelve pairs of gloves, the latter intended to allow a woman to wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring on her finger.
Leap Year traditions (which vary from country to country) continue to this day, though decidedly more in fun than anything else. Some schools still have Sadie Hawkins dances, and in the UK, some shops offer discount packages to women popping the question.
Not everything associated with Leap Day, however, is lighthearted. History tells us that the first warrants for arrests during the Salem witchcraft trials went out on February 29th, 1692.
Legends and traditions aside, what a leap year really means is that we’re playing catch up. It takes Earth about 365 days and 6 hours to orbit the sun, but those extra six hours are problematic for the Gregorian calendar which is only 365 days long. To keep in line with the celestial clock, we need to add a full day to the calendar every four years (4 x 6 hours = 24 hours = leap day). That’s why there is an extra day this month, February 29th.
Some countries have actual laws defining which date a person born on February 29 comes of age in legal terms. In New Zealand, the official birthday falls on February 28 in common years, but in the United Kingdom, leap year babies have to wait until March 1.
- Henry, a Labrador Retriever living in San Diego was so excited to see his neighbor that he over shot the reunion and launched himself off a two-story balcony. He fell 20 feet and landed on a car, but suffered only a broken toe nail and made a full recovery;
- A very excited New Jersey Siberian Husky named, “Eero,” jumped out of his owner’s car while it was moving at 35 mph. Anxious to get to the dog park, Eero extricated himself from his safety travel hammock, squeezed out of the back window and landed on the road. A few stitches later, Eero was fully recovered;
- A Labrador Retriever from Florida jumped off a sea wall and into a canal. “Shayna,” however, had the misfortune of doing it at low tide, and instead of flinging herself into water, she fell onto a bed of sharp oysters. She was treated for multiple lacerations, but made a full recovery and now enjoys leaping into the family swimming pool;
- And then there is Heidi Elizabeth, a Cocker Spaniel from Rhode Island. Trying to get a better view of her owners as they drove away, she jumped on the back of a couch to look out a second story window, but she misjudged the leap and crashed through the window. One can only imagine the horror of Heidi’s owners when their dog fell on the concrete driveway right in front of them. Unbelievably, Heidi Elizabeth didn’t suffer any long term injury and like the other lucky dogs, made a full recovery.
Though Leap Day is still six days away, we share this now to give you time to plan for your Leap Day Party.
Cartoon purchased from cartoonstock.com