This Thursday — Leap Day — comes around every four years, and as someone with a Feb. 28 birthday I’ve always found the phenomenon particularly interesting.
I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said to me, “It’s lucky you weren’t born in a Leap Year,” but the reality is I still would have been born on the 28th. If I were born a day later, it would have been March 1 and I bet no one would have said anything.
Over the years I’ve only met one or two people with Leap Day birthdays. When you’re 8, it’s funny to have a friend who is only 2, but as you age it might be weird to be the only 22-year-old living in the old folks’ home.
Here’s a brief science lesson explaining why we have Leap Years. The Gregorian calendar is slightly shorter than a solar year, the amount of time it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun. A calendar year is 365 days long, but a solar year 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds.
According to the National Air and Space Museum, if we didn’t take this seemingly insignificant difference into account, the timing of the seasons would change over time. In 700 years’ time, summer would begin in December instead of June across the Northern Hemisphere. So, there you have it; class dismissed.
There’s plenty of history behind Leap Days too. Take a quick recess and I’ll meet you back in the classroom.
These days anyone can propose to anyone they choose if they want to marry, but this wasn’t always the case. Traditionally proposals were only from men to women, but on Feb. 29 women were allowed to propose to men.
The travel guide Lonely Planet says this tradition began in Ireland in the 5th century. In Scotland, women planning to propose were advised to wear a red petticoat to give their partners fair warning.
While this all sounds very romantic, there’s no guarantee the gentleman will say yes. In 1288, Queen Margaret of Scotland decreed that any man who refused a Leap Day proposal should be fined. In Denmark, the penalty was 12 pairs of gloves, which the spurned maiden could then wear to cover up the fact she has no ring. In Finland, a man who declined was told to provide enough fabric for her to make a skirt.
In several countries, Leap Years — and, in particular, Leap Days — are considered to bring bad luck. A superstition in Greece says that marriages that take place in a Leap Year will end in divorce while in Scotland it’s thought that those born on Leap Day will have a life of suffering.
Whether you embrace the extra day or not, it makes sense to use it wisely. If you’re not sure how, here are some suggestions:
- Do something you’ve never done before. It could be something adventurous, like jumping out of a plane, or relaxing, such as spending the day in bed.
- Donate your extra day to charity. Offer your services to a nonprofit like Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, where you can take a shift or two filling bags with food to be sent to Africa. While not many charities have one-day-only opportunities, you could use your extra day to research places that could use your services on a more regular basis.
- Do something creative. Whether it’s making something beautiful with guidance from the staff at Michael’s or Pinot’s Palette or cooking at Sur La Table, there are plenty of ways to get your creative or gastric juices flowing in the suburbs.
- Get out of town. If you’ve been suffering from cabin fever this winter, Feb. 29 could be the perfect day to take a train into Chicago and explore a neighborhood you’ve never been to before.
- If the weather is bad, cuddle up on your sofa and phone someone you haven’t spoken to for a while. It’s always great to catch up with old friends or family members and something we don’t always do because there’s never enough time.
- Treat yourself to a gift. Whether it’s a spa day or simply an end of winter bargain, come up with something you’d like and make it your mission to find it before the day is out.
- Have something to eat you have never tried before. It might be a new restaurant in town or simply a dish you can make at home. Have breakfast for dinner or just mix things up a little to celebrate this once in a four years’ day.
- If you really want to embrace the day, take a leap of faith. Is there something in your life you’re not happy about? This is the day to make a change. If you didn’t start that diet on Jan. 1, try it now. Gyms accept new members all year, not just in January. Feeling lonely? Find a pet. Spending too much time on your own reading? Join a book club.
There’s one more suggestion if you have a Leap Day birthday. As a leapling (that’s what people with Feb. 29 birthdays are called), you can celebrate in the town of Anthony, Texas, on the Texas-New Mexico border. They have a four-day long festival with music, food and fun, welcoming people from across the world to join the party.
Whatever you do, I urge you to make the most of it. Class dismissed.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007. She can be reached at hilarydecent@gmail.com.
