30 Days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31. Except for February.
Every fourth February has an extra day between February 28 and March 1 these years are called “Leap Years” and February 29 is called “Leap Day.”
The scientific reason for leap years is to keep our calendar in sync with the rotation of the Earth. It takes almost 365 days and 6 hours for our planet to make its annual trip around the sun. To compensate for the extra time every four years the calendar includes an extra day.
The term leap day itself refers to a fixed holiday being shifted forward in the week compared to the previous year. For example in 2013 Christmas was on a Wednesday, in 2014 it fell on a Thursday and in 2015 Christmas was on Friday. This year, a leap year, however it will “leap” Saturday and Christmas Day will be Sunday.
The town of Anthony, Texas is known as the “Leap Year Capital” and they celebrate every four years with a parade.
In Greece it’s considered bad luck to get married in a leap year and especially on leap day. In Scotland there is a superstition that leap years aren’t good for sheep or crops and in Russia some farmers believe that crops planted in a leap year are likely to grow the wrong way.
Here in the US, the 29th is sometimes referred to as a “Sadie Hawkins Day,” named after a character in a newspaper comic strip. Anymore, it’s a time where women are encouraged to take the initiative and ask a boy out for a date.
They have a similar tradition in Ireland where according to tradition women can propose marriage in leap years.
This leap day in addition to any standing traditions many businesses are offering deals and promotions on everything from flights to appliances to restaurants. So let me be the first to wish you a happy Leap Day!