What Is A Leap Year? Here's Everything You Need To Know!
We all remember it: Amy Adams clicking and clacking her high heels down the winding, gravel roads of Ireland in her 2010 film Leap Year. But this is more that romantic, flirty fiction — a leap year actually happens every four years (sort of), and it's upon us yet again. With the benefit of one extra day (called "leap day") on February 29, the possibilities seem endless. But why do we have this bonus day? And why was Amy Adams en route to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend? This is everything you need to know about leap years!
What is a leap year?
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A Leap Year is when there's an extra day tacked onto the month of February — which is aptly named "leap day." This 366-day phenomenon happens every four years, so the next one will be in 2028!
Why does a leap year happen?
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According to the National Air and Space Museum, the Earth 365 days and some change to orbit the Sun. That "change" starts to add up, eventually amounting to the equivalent of a day's worth of extra time! This keeps our calendars even and balanced...at least when it comes to the days, weeks, and months of it all — we can't quite use the Earth's orbit to fix your packed schedules! Now Mercury in retrograde, on the other hand, that's a different story...😉
When did leap years start?
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According to American Scientific, daily calendars followed the cycles of the moon rather than the sun. When Julius Caesar reigned, he decreed that Roman calendars should follow the sun instead, then adding one extra day a year to make sure everything stayed in sync over time.
Apparently that wasn't quite right still, leaving us with an extra 45 minutes a year that went unaccounted for. To ameliorate that, Pope Gregory XIII got involved. He decided that every 100th year — like 1900 — actually wouldn't be a leap year so we could level out the calendar. While this still isn't quite exact, the Pope added that years that are divisible by 400 actually would be a leap year. So the year 2000 had an extra day, following all these rules. Too many numbers for you? Same.
What is Ladies' Privilege Day?
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Irish tradition states that on February 29 — leap day — women can propose to men, reversing the gender norms of the "typical" marriage proposal. In an interview with NPR, history professor Katherine Parkin noted that this "unusual" trend was likely to match the "unusual" day that only comes every once in a while. Though ultimately, Parkin doesn't believe that this lore is based in any real truth — she thinks it's just something Americans grabbed onto and ran with in the 1700s. Regardless, the myth took root and even lead to Amy Adams' romcom of the same name, Leap Year.
While relationships take many forms now adays, this is still a fun and silly excuse for anyone to propose at the end of the day.
What are leap day superstitions?
Image via Universal Pictures
Outside of Ladies' Privilege Day, there are a few other romantic superstitions to keep in mind. For example, Salon reported if you turn down a woman's proposal on leap day in some countries, you owe her money or clothes in some countries. Then, according to NPR, it's bad luck in Greek culture to get married on a leap day... The legend even goes as far as to say the marriage would end in divorce. Yikes!
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