What are You Going To Do With Your Bonus Day?
29 February 2020
Issue 5 February 2020
I've been doing a bit of research into Leap Years, the traditions of the day and how people intend to mark this Leap Day.
WHY DO WE HAVE LEAP YEARS?
This will be brief as I’m no Stephen Hawkins! It’s all about the sun and the seasons. It takes the Earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds to circle around the sun - that's a solar year. The Gregorian calendar we use only has 365 days and those extra 5 annual hours add up. To keep our calendars in line with the seasons we need a 366 day year every four years.
Interesting stat says if
we didn’t have leap years, after 100 years our calendars would be off by 24
days!
LIVING
The
chances of being born on leap day are rare -
1 in 1,461 and the estimated 4.1 million people around the world who
fall into this category are called
"leaplings" or "leapers".
ROOTS
Historically, February 29 has prompted some interesting
traditions. Leap Day was known as
'Ladies Day' and was the one day when women were free to propose to
men. In Scotland to ensure success
ladies wore a red petticoat and made sure it was slightly visible to their
intended!
According
to Irish legend it was St Brigid (she of Imbolc fame - see my previous blog
No.1) who struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose on leap day.
In
Denmark any man refusing a leap day proposal pays a penalty of 12 pairs of
gloves and in Finland the penalty is enough fabric to make a skirt.
However
in Greece it's considered unlucky to marry in a leap year, a superstition
thought to date back to Roman times when February was known as the month of the
dead.
According
to folklore in a leap year the weather always changes on Friday. In Russia
they attribute unpredictable weather patterns to a leap year and Scottish
farmers believe leap years are bad for crops:
"Leap year was ne’er a good
sheep year”
In
Texas, the town of Anthony is known as Leap Year Capital of the World after two
leaplings created a 4 day music festival in the 1980S and in
France they have a newspaper, La Bougie du Sapeur that’s only published every
four years.
EXPLORE
Here are 20 suggestions of how others are spending their leap day, to inspire you (no comments from me:
- Making a time capsule to open on the next Leap Day - including a letter, goals for the next few years, a current photo or art project
- Going star gazing
- Using the bonus day of Prime Video subscription to watch "Leap Year" - the fictional story of a woman travelling across Ireland to propose - entertaining but with some questionable geography!
- Writing someone a letter
- Decluttering & spring cleaning
- Using the bonus extra day on your monthly gym membership
- Meeting up with friends to celebrate the extra non working day
- Using the day to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future
- Looking at ways to green your life (National Trust staff initiative)
- Enjoying the fact no direct debits go out of your account today!
- Playing leapfrog
- Having a sleep day
- Checking out a new podcast
- Flying a drone
- Going on a moonlight garden tour
- Trying a digital detox
- Watching the sunrise
- Volunteering
- Creating habitats for local wildlife at West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire - see National Trust website for more info
- Going to a yoga class
NOURISH
Whatever
you decide to do with your bonus day why
not toast it with a celebratory Leap Day Cocktail. This gin cocktail was
apparently created in the 1920s at The Savoy Hotel in London.
Leap
Day Cocktail
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash fresh lemon juice
Shake,
serve, garnish with a lemon peel.
Enjoy the flood of bittersweet flavours.
If you can do get outside and explore your local countryside on Leap Day. Looking at the details is a wonderful way to reconnect to the seasons. Let me know what Leap Day highlights you spot and/or photograph.
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