{ February 29! }

[delga]

It's Leap Year Day! \o/ Some Interesting Things:

- Feb29 is traditionally a day when women an propose to men. It's not such a big thing any more because it's no longer seen to be a bad thing when a woman is 'so forward'.

- Way back when, in English law, Feb29 was ignored; it had no legal status, so traditions were assumed not to have significance on that day (hence women being able to propose to men).

- Because the leap year day is used to fix the calendar, it's reasoned that it can be used to 'fix' the custom of only men being allowed to propose.

- In 1288, Scotland passed a law allowing women to propose on Feb29. Any man who declined a leap year proposal had to pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to a silk dress/pair of gloves. (Which, seriously, what?)

- Apparently, in the US, some people refer to today as Sadie Hawkin's day, but I'm pretty certain that's more commonly done in November.

- There is a Greek superstition which suggests that it's bad luck to marry during a leap year. One in five engaged Greek couples will forgo planning their wedding during a leap year.

- Breakfast shows in the UK have a field day with leap year day episodes because it's a chance for them to bring forward people who were born on Feb29 and ask people how old they are. "Joe Public has only just turned 20!" *camera swings round to an 80 year old*

- People born on a leap year day can be referred to as leaplings.

- Chinese and Hebrew calendars are lunisolar, so leap years have an extra month. The Hindu calendar is also lunisolar, attempts to do something similar, but for whatever reason it's especially complicated. (Some months have extra days anyway for no reason that I've ever been able to ascertain.) The Islamic calendar does not observe leap months.

- The Iranian calendar is sort of awesome, but I can't explain it succinctly. Thus, quote from wikipedia, yay! "The Iranian calendar also has a single intercalated day once in every four years, but every 33 years or so the leap years will be five years apart instead of four years apart. The system used is more accurate and more complicated, and is based on the time of the March equinox as observed from Tehran. The 33-year period is not completely regular; every so often the 33-year cycle will be broken by a cycle of 29 or 37 years."

--

I handed in my dissertation draft \o/ I just have to write the conclusion now, and I'll have a full draft which I then need to revise and edit &c. &c. But now: SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES!

Comments

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

Woohoo, leap day traditions and observations! Very a propos, and I kind of like the implied total carnivale of the day.

But also?! WOO HOO HOO DRAFT SUBMITTED WHEEEEEE! Big huge congrats, that must feel like an elephant fell off your shoulders just now.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I feel like this really is March 1st now, if that makes any sense.

Thank you! You know the weirdest thing, though? It was not a stressful thing in the least. I mean, earlier in the year, yes, but once I sat down to write it, it was a smooth process. So I feel accomplished in a small way, but there wasn't that much weight. Which is excellent!