The city of Anthony in Texas, USA is the self-proclaimed 'leap year capital of the world.' A festival is held here every year, where those who wish from all over the world, born on February 29, gather.ġ0. If you time it right, then traveling from one country to another, you can celebrate the longest birthday in the world.ĩ. In Hong Kong, the official birthday for those born on February 29th is March 1st in normal years, while in New Zealand it is February 28th. Among the famous people born on February 29, one can name the poet Lord Byron, the composer Gioachino Rossini, the actress Irina Kupchenko.Ĩ. For many centuries, astrologers believed that children born on a leap day have unusual talents, a unique personality, and even special powers. Around the world, about 5 million people were born on a leap day.ħ. The chances of being born on February 29 are 1 in 1461. So, according to the Italian proverb 'Anno bisesto, anno funesto'. In Italy, it is believed that in a leap year a woman becomes unpredictable, and at this time there is no need to plan important events. One in five couples in Greece avoid getting married on a leap year, as it is believed to bring bad luck. In Denmark, a man who refuses a woman's marriage proposal must provide her with 12 pairs of gloves, and in Finland, fabric for a skirt. To warn fans in advance, a woman was supposed to wear trousers or a red petticoat on the day of the proposal. She also made it a rule that those who refused had to pay a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, a pair of gloves, or money. According to another version, this tradition appeared in Scotland, when Queen Margaret, at the age of 5, announced in 1288 that a woman can propose to any man she likes on February 29th. Then he gave women one day in a leap year - the last day in the shortest month, so that the fair sex could propose to a man.Īccording to legend, Brigitte immediately knelt down and proposed to Patrick, but he refused, kissing her on the cheek, and offered her a silk dress to soften the refusal.Ĥ.

The tradition began in 5th century Ireland when Saint Brigid complained to Saint Patrick that women had to wait too long for a proposal from worshipers. February 29 is considered the only day when a woman can propose marriage to a man. So according to the Gregorian calendar, 2000 was a leap year, but 1700, 18 were not. This system was supplemented by Pope Gregory XIII (who introduced the Gregorian calendar), who introduced the term 'leap year' and declared that a year that is a multiple of 4 and a multiple of 400, but not a multiple of 100, is a leap year. This day was added in February as it was once the last month in the Roman calendar.Ģ. Julius Caesar, together with the astronomer Sosigenes, decided to simplify the situation, and the Julian 365-day calendar was developed with an extra day every 4 years to compensate for the extra hours. Humans once followed a calendar of 355 days with an extra month of 22 days every two years. The extra day in a leap year is necessary because it takes just over 365 days to complete one revolution around the Sun, or rather 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. An extra day in a leap year is added in February - February 29 (leap day). A leap year is a year with 366 days instead of 365 as usual. In those leap years, you must set another alternative year or 'alternative year from March 1' after March 1.Did you know that not every 4th year is a leap year? Why is a leap year considered unlucky, and what signs are associated with it? What does leap year mean?1. However, their alternative years are not leap years and their calendars will become unmatched with the actual ones after February 29. The list below shows alternative years (1992 - 2004) for 2016 - 2099. In that case, you can indicate correct date and day of week on your watch by setting a covered year which has the same calendar as that you actually want to set. Date and day of the week are not indicated correctly on such watches after the covered years passed. The calendar function of old watches may sometimes be limited (for example, from 1992 to 2004) and not cover recent years.

Leap year list