Jump- jump! Go ahead and ju-ump.
Or not!
It’s Leaper Day. Feb 29, 2020.
It's a day that doesn't legally exist.
But here we are.
About every 4 years, we gain an extra day. LEAP DAY!
Julius Caesar introduced the first leap year around 46 B.C. – 2220 years ago.
Why leap once every 4 years?
It's all about the sun. The Earth takes a year to circle the sun - plus about 6 hours.
If we didn't add the day, we’d lose 6 hours a year.
After a century, our calendar would be off by 24 days. Feb 29 would be March 24.
People born on leap day are often called "leaplings" or "leapers."
Once every four years, people born on Feb. 29 get to celebrate their birthday.
I like those aging odds – 1 year in 4.
For reference, dogs age 7 to 1.
Romance & Leap Year
According to tradition, it's OK for a woman to propose to a man on Leap Day.
St. Patrick gave women one day to propose.
Watch out today, single guys….
But guys - if you don’t accept a leap year proposal, it will cost you.
In Denmark, a man refusing a woman's Leap Day proposal must give her a dozen pairs of gloves.
In Finland, a gentleman must give his spurned suitor enough fabric to make a skirt.
In some places, February 29 has been renamed Bachelors' Day because of the tradition.
Don’t get married on Leap Day. In Greece they think it’s bad luck.
In Italy, they warn against Leap Year weddings. Why?
"Anno bisesto tutte le donne senza sesto."
Which means "In a leap year, women are erratic."