Leap day (February 29) is an intercalary day inserted in a leap year. Leap day has been associated with age-old traditions, superstitions and folklore. It is also recognized as a day of observances and celebrated as a birthday for those born on February 29.
Leap Day
Leap day, also known as leap year day, is an extra day added to the month of February in a leap year. February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. It occurs every four years in years evenly divisible by four except for centenary years not divisible by 400.
Brief History of Leap Day
In ancient Rome, leap day was on February 24 due to February being the last month of the calendar. The original Roman calendar added an extra month every few years to maintain the correct seasonal changes. The Julian calendar was implemented in 45 BCE, resulting in a leap day being added to the end of February every four years.
According to tradition, women were allowed to propose to men during a leap year. ©iStockphoto.com/TriggerPhoto
Tradition, Folklore and Superstition
A tradition was introduced many centuries ago to allow women to propose to men during a leap year. This privilege of proposing was restricted to leap day in some areas. Leap day was sometimes known as “Bachelors’ Day”. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage offer from a woman.
It was also considered to be unlucky for someone to be born on a leap day in Scotland and for couples to marry on a leap year, including on a leap day, in Greece.
Observances on February 29
Leap day is also St Oswald’s Day, named after a 10th century archbishop of York who died on February 29, 992. The feast is celebrated on February 29 during leap years and on February 28 in other years.
Leap Day Birthdays
Some people born on February 29 prefer to celebrate their birthday on February 28 in a non-leap year because they were born in February, while others celebrate their birthday on March 1 because they do not officially turn next age on February 28. There are also those who only celebrate their birthday every leap year because they believe there is no substitute to a February 29 birthday.
For example, each state or territory administers driver’s licenses in the United States. In South Carolina, one man received an extended driver’s license because February 29 was not in the calendar in a non-leap year. However in Maryland, one person waited for six months to get the driver’s license because the computer database did not recognize the February 29 birth date.
Some members of the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies do not have the February 29 birth date on their driver’s licenses because their government agencies gave them a choice of only February 28 or March 1 as their license expiration date.
More information
Further reading
- Leap Year in Other Calendars
- World Events during Leap Year 2008
- Anthony – Leap Year Capital of the World
Calendar tools
- Calendar Generator – Create a calendar for any year
- Repeating calendars – Which years share the same calendar?
- Calendar for 2009
