Leap Year Traditions

Leap Year Tradition

Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

Excepting February alone

Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,

Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

Traditionally when it comes to proposing marriage, it falls on the male to ask his sweetheart if she would do him the honour of becoming his wife.

This year however is a leap year and on the 29^th of February the tables are turned.

It is a leap year tradition that women propose marriage on the 29^th of February

And if the man says no then he must pay a fine, the fine can be anything that the girl desires from a simple kiss to a very expensive piece of jewellery.

The tradition that originated in Ireland in the 5^th century,

St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

In Scotland in 1288 a law was passed that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. And any man who refused would have to pay the fine.

not part of the law but as a good luck charm,they should also wear a red petticoat under their dress - and make sure that it is partly visible to the man when they propose.

Sadie Hawkins Day, developed out of the popular cartoon strip "Li'L Abner" by Al Capp.

In her article in the Baltimore Sun on Feb 29, 1992, writer Sandra Crockett writes- "a female character named 'Sadie Hawkins' who lived in the fictional town Dogpatch was having a tough time getting a man to propose to her. Her father, the mayor of said fictional town, declared one day, 'Sadie Hawkin's' day.

The unmarried women in Dogpatch ran -- literally -- after unmarried men to propose that day."

MY LEAP YEAR MARRIAGE

In 2008 my wife and I will celebrate our 12th year of marriage, we were married in 1996 which was a leap year, my wife to be proposed to me on February 29th and I accepted (Being a thrifty Scotsman, not wanting to pay a fine)

We Married in May the same year (It is considered unlucky by some to marry in a leap year).

and they have been the happiest 12 years of my life.

A person who was born on 29 February may be called a "leapling". In non-leap years they usually celebrate their birthday on 28 February or 1st March.

For legal purposes, their legal birthdays depend on how different laws count time intervals. In England and Wales the legal birthday of a leapling is 28 February in common years . so a leapling born on 29 February 1980 (example) would have legally reached 18 years old on 28 February 1998.