Leap Day: Everything you need to know about the oddest year in the calendar

Have you ever wondered why February sometimes has 29 days instead of 28?

Every four years, a peculiar day appears on the calendar: February 29th. This “extra” day, known as Leap Day, disrupts birthday celebrations, historical timelines, and even astronomical calculations.

But what exactly is the purpose of leap year, and how did it come to be?

A leap year is a year that has one extra day added to it, making it 366 days long instead of the usual 365 days. This extra day is added to the month of February, which normally has 28 days, but during a Leap Year, it has 29. This happens every four years.

Why do we have leap day?

The Earth takes approximately 365.2422 days to orbit the sun. Since our calendar year is traditionally 365 days long, it falls slightly out of sync with the Earth’s actual revolution around the sun. This inconsistency accumulates over time, causing the seasons to drift.

To address this issue, the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, incorporated a leap year every four years. However, even this system wasn’t perfect, causing a slight overcorrection. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which we use today. This calendar refined the leap year system, excluding three leap years every 400 years, to ensure better alignment with the solar year.

A brief history of Leap day

The concept of adding an extra day to the calendar dates back to ancient civilisations. The Egyptians, for example, recognised the need for a leap year around 2,300 BC, although their system differed from the one we use today. Julius Caesar’s calendar, heavily influenced by Egyptian astronomers, laid the groundwork for the current system.

The introduction of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century faced resistance from some countries due to religious and political reasons. However, it gradually gained widespread adoption, becoming the international standard by the 20th century.

How to know if it’s a leap year

Figuring out if a year is a Leap Year is simple. If the year can be evenly divided by 4, it’s a Leap Year. However, there’s a twist: if the year can be evenly divided by 100, it’s NOT a Leap Year, unless it can also be divided by 400. So, the year 2000 was a Leap Year, but 1900 was not.

Leap Year Fun facts

• People born on February 29th are referred to as “leaplings” or “leap year babies.” They may celebrate their birthdays on February 28th, March 1st, or even save up for a grand celebration on the actual February 29th every four years.
• In some cultures, like Ireland, Leap Day is traditionally considered a day when women can propose marriage to men. While not a widespread practice, it remains a fun and symbolic tradition for some.
• Interestingly, some cultures associate Leap Day with bad luck or misfortune. However, there’s no scientific evidence to support these claims, and most people treat Leap Day like any other day.
• Leap years occur in years divisible by four, except for those divisible by 100 but not by 400. So, while 1900 wasn’t a leap year, 2000 was, and 2400 will be as well.
• Famous people born on Leap Day include the rapper Ja Rule and the motivational speaker Tony Robbins.
• In Greece, it’s considered unlucky to marry in a Leap Year, especially on Leap Day.
• The chances of being born on Leap Day are about 1 in 1,461.

The importance of leap day

Leap Day plays a major role in maintaining the accuracy of our calendar system and ensuring it aligns with the Earth’s orbit. Without it, we’d slowly drift away from the solar year, messing up our sense of time and seasons.