It is 2024! Many exciting events fill this year including a leap day, presidential election, and summer Olympics. Since February is upon us let’s focus on what is a leap year?
A leap year contains an additional day, February 29th, compared to a regular year. If you did not know, a year is 365 days and each day is 24 hours long. However, according to American Museum of Natural History astronomer Jackie Faherty, the Earth takes 365.242190 days to orbit the sun (NPR, 2024). The excess .242190 is the reason for the Leap Year. The 16th century Gregorian Calendar combined this excess time into one day every four years. The reasoning for the time being placed in February is because it is considered an unlucky month. Based on Roman superstitions, odd numbers are unlucky and by adding the extra day to February the month will contain an odd number of days (29). This month was then utilized for the Roman rituals and contact with the dead (Britannica, 2024).
So, in order to completely utilize this extra day, you should spend it exploring the fun traditions surrounding the rare day. On February 29th, the stereotypical men proposing to the women are reserved and women are given the role to pop the big question. If the proposal is rejected, it is also traditional on this day for the rejecter to receive varying punishments. In Scotland, the man must pay a fine of one pound up to a silk gown, in Denmark they must provide 12 pairs of gloves to the female, and in Finland they must give enough fabric to sew a skirt. It is furthermore possible to read the La Bougie du Sapeur, a French newspaper that only publishes every leap day. Or how about you take a trip down to Anthony, Texas? This Texan town hosts a four-day-long festival to celebrate the exciting day (Salon, 2024). I do recommend attempting to miss out on the unfortunate coincidence of giving birth on a leap day. After being labeled “leaplings,” the roughly five million people born on these days still celebrate their birthdays annually (NPR, 2024). Those that are faced with this can only celebrate their true birthday every four years. Traditionally, forced to celebrate either the day prior or following.
Junior, Lindsay Hunter acknowledged her missing out on the traditional fun and will just be participating in school. Do not worry though Lindsay Hunter, for February 29, 2024 the next day Leonardtown students get a day off! So I expect to see her either on one knee or dancing around in Texas. However, Alana Gutierrez is not letting school stop her Leap Year fun. She explained we might spot her petting a frog. She wanted to make sure we understood the joke. Get it? It’s leap year and frogs leap. Anyhow…hope you enjoy such a rare day because remember it does not happen every year! Make sure you get active with the fun and maybe a proposal or two?
