If you were born on 29th February, happy birthday! You’ve waited a long time for your true birthday to come around again, and interestingly you are known as a ‘leapling.’
Today is an extra leap day that happens every four years, and with it comes some unusual traditions, customs and strange superstitions.
Here are a few leap year traditions from around the world…
United Kingdom: Probably the most known leap year tradition is that women can propose to men on a leap day. This notion is thought to be an old Irish custom. The story goes that Sain Brigid of Kildare felt women had to wait too long for a proposal. Together with Saint Patrick it was agreed that women could propose every four years on leap day, which is known as Ladies’ Privilege.
Ireland: As the birthplace of the leap day proposal, a refusal to marriage could be expensive. It is thought that if the proposal was refused the woman had to be given a gift in the form of gloves, a silk gown or fur coat. Some historical records suggest a penance, the man refusing had to perform a juggling act on Easter Sunday.
Scotland: When the Ladies’ Privilege was taken to Scotland by Irish monks Queen Margaret made it law in 1288. She added that quirk that women must wear a red petticoat whilst proposing!
Germany: There’s a tradition in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate where men decorate a birch tree in their garden with paper ribbons on the eve of 1st May. On leap day this is reversed with women doing the same.
Denmark: Danish couples also opted the leap day proposal but if a man refused he had to give the woman twelve pairs of gloves to cover her ringless fingers.
France: The French have a newspaper, La Bougie du Sapeur, which is published only on the leap day, so every four years! It has been running since 1980 and is extremely popular with the French.
*Bonus fact: Christopher Columbus first set his eyes on the Americas on 29th February 1493!
