February 2024 gives us a present of an extra day this year, a day on which we may not have anything of instance to do, so it is a present, a gift! Leap year occurs every four years, so that the calendar can take into account that the orbit around the sun that year will need more than 365 days to complete. Therefore a 29^th day is added to the calendar in February.

People born on February 29^th have an official birthday only every four years but usually celebrate it on March 1^st. These people are referred to as “leaplings”. Leap day origins date back to 45 BCE, when Julius Caesar, after consulting with an astronomer, added a day every four years to make up the gap between the lunar and solar calendars. But Caesar made some math mistakes, and his solution didn’t quite work, so Pope Gregory XIII adjusted it in 1582 to give us the Gregorian calendar we use today.

In modern times, it’s a little outdated to think women need a specific day to propose – but for those that want an extra reason, leap year has long been the year women pop the question to men. Proposing, for centuries, was the gentleman’s prerogative, but Leap Year tradition now dictates that on the 29th of February, women looking to put a ring on their finger can ask their loved one to marry them. 

Just where did the tradition begin? It is claimed that in Ireland in the 5^th Century, Saint Brigid of Kildare, arguing that women were languishing away waiting for their shy beaux to pluck up the nerve to pop the question, asked Saint Patrick to give a day they might do the deed themselves. A little haggling was involved, with Saint Patrick first suggesting every seven years, but eventually the Leap Year crisis was settled. According to folklore, Saint Brigid then immediately proposed marriage to the Irish saint. 

As the Irish nun would have been around nine or ten years old when St. Patrick died in 461 A.D, this story is a little dubious, but no less charming for its Irish folklore.

In more modern centuries America, girls were allowed to ask boys to dance at special parties held on February 29th, often referred to as Sadie Hawkins Day. But now anything goes!

OF COURSE A LEAP DAY COCKTAIL

In 1928, bartender Harry Craddock was working as a bartender at the renowned Savoy Hotel. As it was leap year, he decided to concoct a special cocktail to accompany the hotel’s Leap Day celebrations. Fancy saying “cheers” on 29 February? You will need: gin, Grand Marnier, vermouth, and lemon juice. 

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the gin, sweet vermouth, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. Stir well. And yes, say “Cheers”!

Be warned, to this day, in Italy, an old proverb declares

“Anno bisesto tutte le donne senza sesto”                                                                                                  

translating loosely it says, “In a leap year, women are erratic.”!

Sii sicuro, sii cauto ma divertiti!

​(Be safe, be cautious but enjoy)