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skybytch

Leap Day

By skybytch, in The Bonfire

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skybytch    273

skybytch
There's some form of tradition linked to Leap Day - February 29th, which comes around only once every four years. I remember it being something like Sadie Hawkins day, when a girl could ask a guy out... except I remember the Leap Day one as being the day when a girl could ask a guy to marry her and if he said no he had to buy her a dress.

Or something like that. Help my faulty memory. Does anyone remember anything even close to this being related to February 29th?

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Jimbo    0

Jimbo
Here ya go:

Quote

Leap Day Tradition
The one day of the year on which, traditionally, women can propose to men. It was considered that as the day also had no legal status, it was reasonable to assume that tradition had no status, so women took advantage of this and proposed to the man they wanted to marry.

A law once existed in Scotland forbidding a man to refuse a proposal made to him. Punishment for such an offence was a large fine.

This tradition goes back to an old Irish legend concerning St. Patrick and St. Bridget in the 5th Century.

In the 5th century, a nun by the name of St. Bridget, petitioned St. Patrick on behalf of all women in that they have a more active role in choosing their husbands. As a result of this request, women were allowed to propose to men once every four years.



Source.

-
Jim
"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

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nathaniel    0

nathaniel
Here's a bit of trivia -- Leap Day is traditionally Feb 24, not Feb 29.

from Wikipedia:

Quote


By Roman custom, the day added is actually 24 February, with the days following it renumbered. The Romans had marked days during a month: 1st (called calendae--hence "calendar"), 5th or 7th (nonae), 13th or 15th (idus). On these days important events like markets, festivities, and rituals took place. It is possible that in ancient times attempts were made to keep the months in sync with the lunar phases: on occasion an additional day would be inserted inter calendae (hence "intercalary"), i.e. somewhere between those days that should be kept fixed. Now our leap day would repeat the 6th day before the 1st day of March (count including the 1st day itself, as was their custom): hence "bissextile" day, which falls to 24 February.

This historical nicety is, however, in the process of being discarded: The European Union declared that, starting in 2000, 29 February rather than 24 February would be leap day, and the Roman Catholic Church also now uses 29 February as leap day. The only tangible difference is felt in countries which celebrate 'name days'.



nathaniel
My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

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skybytch    273

skybytch
Quote

No one proposed to me today and I live in Massachusetts. I have the whole population who could have proposed.:(

Thanks a lot Bytch.



Yeah, well, I haven't been proposed to since 1982, and he wasn't worth marryin' anyway.... so I don't feel bad. :P

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