29 February: What makes the leap day 'extra' special
People often associate sentiments with this unique date as it only comes every four years
The year 2024 is a leap year. It basically means we get a "bonus" day in February.
Though it may be just another day for some, there is much fascination surrounding it as it comes every four years only.
In some cultures, Leap Day is considered a lucky day for marriage proposals, weddings and other significant events.
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And so, it ensures the day doesn't go without celebrations.
The celebrity couple Mumtaheena Chowdhury Toya and Sayed Zaman Shawon got married on 29 February 2020 and will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary this year.
Shortly after their wedding, Toya had shared with TBS, "My family is very concerned about fixing dates. This is just a result of that concern. Our anniversary will be celebrated once every four years and everyone will be very hyped and excited about the anniversary because of this."
Some even consider it more practical to get married in a leap year as they would be able to plan something grand every four years rather than celebrating every year.
Though marriages are planned, birthdays are more often than not spontaneous. Those born on 29 February are called "leaplings" or "leap year babies."
For the majority of the time, leaplings choose to celebrate their birthdays on either 28 February or 1 March in non-leap years, not to miss out on the festivities associated with their special day.
However, when a leap year rolls around like this year, leaplings can finally celebrate their birthday on the actual date of 29 February.
One such example is renowned actor Mamunur Rashid, whose birthday is on 29 February. This year, a three-day long programme will be organised at Shilpakala Academy, Channel I and Bangladesh Women's Association to celebrate his birthday.
Mamunur Rashid said, "This is only an endeavour to spend some quality time with everyone. My prayers and love to all those who are organising the celebrations."
How leap year came to be
To understand why 29 February is important, we need to talk about time and calendars. Our calendar, called the Gregorian calendar, has 365 days in a year. But the Earth takes about 365.25 days to orbit the Sun.
So, every four years, we add an extra day to our calendar to catch up with the Earth's orbit. This extra day is 29 February which is often called leap day, and the year it happens in is called a leap year.
The idea of leap years dates back to ancient civilisations as the Egyptians, Romans, and others were found altering their calendars slightly to account for the extra time in Earth's orbit.
Ancient traditions and superstitions
With the ancient origin came ancient traditions like "Bachelor's Day," also known as Ladies' Privilege, which traces back to fifth-century Ireland, where legend says Saint Bridget petitioned Saint Patrick for women's right to propose.
Initially proposed as a once-in-seven-years opportunity, it later settled to every four years due to Bridget's persistence.
This tradition spread to Scotland, Finland, and parts of the UK by the 1800s, eventually reaching the United States. However, in the early 20th century, societal mockery tainted the celebration, portraying women who proposed as aggressive and domineering.
Despite this, Bachelor's Day remains a symbol of defiance against gender norms.
Leap year brings with it an array of superstitions and beliefs from diverse cultures.
In Greek tradition, marrying during a leap year, especially on leap day itself, is seen as a risky choice, potentially leading to divorce. This belief originates from ancient lore, where the leap year was deemed an unstable period for commitments.
In Scotland, it is believed that those who are born on leap day will live a life of suffering.
Leap year, in general, is also considered a doomed year for farmers, as the saying goes: "Leap year was never a good sheep year."
As for Germany, another saying goes, "Schaltjahr gleich Kaltjahr" which means leap year will be a cold year.
