Leap year traditions and superstitions

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: DYLAN CHARETTE
Once every four years, February gains an extra day to its month.

Once every four years, February gains an extra day to its month, making our usual 28 days of February to 29 days instead. And yes, you checked right, this year has 366 days! The leap year is known to be a lucky omen, bringing many successes on the lucky Feb. 29. However, there are some superstitions and old customs that dictate the day to be unlucky. With the help of thescotsman. com and bestlifeonline.com for research, let’s take a look at some traditions and superstitions surrounding the quadrennial occurrence.

1. It’s time to get hitched, ladies!

If you have learned anything from the movie Leap Year, it is that on the 29th of February women can ask their loved ones to marry them, and if they say no, Scottish tradition says the man should be fined, with either money or expensive silks. In Denmark, refusal costs a man 12 pairs of gloves that must be given to the “scorned” woman. The gloves are to be used to hide your finger that bears no ring. Well, at least you’ll be warm when you get a cold hard rejection. Ouch.

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2. Hold the baby in until March

Scottish superstition believes that giving birth on the 29th of February is bad luck; the day is compared to Friday the 13th, which is also seen as an unlucky day. Also, some Scottish people believe that if you’re born a “leapling,” your life would be full of ongoing suffering. Yikes!

3. Wait! Maybe you don’t need to hold the baby in!

Some Indian and Scottish beliefs view being born on February 29th as lucky because the chances of being born on this day are 1 in 1461. Pretty wack chances, but you’re automatically in the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies club. Some astronomers even believe that if you’re born on the leap day, you will have unusual talents! So, soak in the luck if you’re a baby leaper.

4. Don’t get married or divorced

Proposing to a man on the leap day is 100 per cent OK, but don’t get in any hurry to marry the love of your life on the same day! The Greeks believe that getting married on the inauspicious leap day is extremely unlucky and if you divorce on the leap day, you will never find love again. So, avoid any paperwork, and wait until March 1 to either get married to the love of your life or divorce your former love to find a new one.

5. “Leap year was never a good sheep year”

Some Scottish farmers worry about their livestock during the leap year due to the old saying “leap year was never a good sheep year”. So, if you’re herding any sheep or cows, be extra careful of black cats or breaking mirrors so you don’t bring any bad luck to your farming animals.

6. The leap second

The leap second has occurred 27 times since 1972. The leap second is an added second to the length of the day to adjust the pulls of the sun and moon affecting the rotation of the Earth. The last leap second happened at midnight on Dec. 31, 2016. Unlike the assured occurrence every four years that is the leap year, the leap second is not as predictable. The next leap second is said to occur on June 30, 2020. So, watch the clock this coming June; count the seconds, and you might find an extra one!

7. La Bougie du Sapeur

There is a newspaper in France that is only published every four years on leap day. La Bougie du Sapeur (sapper’s candle) is a comical French newspaper published in 1980, and since then only releases an issue every four years. Even though it is the least frequently published newspaper of all time, it sells 150,000 copies each time it is released. If you’re in France on Feb. 19, perhaps for a Valentine’s Day extension vacation, make sure to get yourself a copy of La Bougie du Sapeur.

8. Leap year capital of the world

Make your way to Anthony, Texas this coming leap day to have the best birthday festival for leapers in the self-proclaimed “leap year capital of the world”. On the day, a birthday festival is thrown for the leapers to celebrate their unique birthdays. If you’re a member of the Honour Society of Leap Year Day Babies, pay the leap year capital of the world a visit to have some birthday fun.

If you happen to forget the days of the month, or when the leap year happens, here’s a fun old saying to remember the crazy day that pops in our calendar every four years:

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