Happy Leap Day 2012!

If there were ever a day to do something special or epic it would be today. Leap Day only comes around once every four years so go big, go crazy. 

We can thank the Romans for designating February 29^th as leap day. An extra day to keep the seasons in tune. The Gregorian calendar came up with a better formula in the 16^th century. That same division of four is what we still use today.

For the ladies Leap Day is a very special one. If you’ve got a fella who needs to put a ring on it, put one on him instead. In the 5^th century St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait on a man to propose. St. Patrick relented and set aside February 29^th as the day the fairer sex had the right to ask for her beau’s hand in marriage. Victorian traditions say that the proposing lady should be wearing a red petticoat first.

What if he says no? Well then, he owes the rejected lass a fine. As laid down by Scots Queen Margaret in 1288, the man must give the jilted lady fair a kiss, a silk dress or pair of gloves. However, this is 2012 inflation and all so, if he says no, gals ask for something sparkly. Or fast, red and says vroom.

Unless it’s in Greece then it’s thought to be unlucky to be married in a leap year. Other leapish folklore around the world includes a belief that children born in a leap year will be unruly, or that crops planted such as beans or peas planted will grow down and a long the ground instead of the vine climbing up. There are many traditions and superstitions around leap day and leap year.  

Whether you chose to make February 29^th an extra day of work or play be sure it’s a day to remember. You’ve got four years to plan for the next one.