This was to counter the fact that a solar year is a full six hours longer than 365 days.
Since the extra day was added many traditions and superstitions have been introduced. One of the best known of these traditions is for a woman to propose to a man.
The custom started in the 5th century in Ireland when St Bridget decided that women had to wait far to long for men to propose.
Queen Margaret of Scotland passed a law in 1288 stating: “That in a leap year a woman had the right to ask any man to marry her, so long as he was single.’
To make the proposal the woman had to wear a red petticoat, making sure that it was peeking out from under her skirt. The tradition was that if the man turned down the proposal he would get bad luck. This is where the original phrase for ‘scarlet woman’ began.
However in Scotland the law stipulated that it was an offence for any man to turn down a proposal on a leap year. Refusal of the proposal would result in a fine that could be either a kiss or having to buy the woman a dress.
In France a woman who is revealing her petticoat is said to be looking for a mother-in-law.
Even today the superstitions surrounding the date, control when people plan their weddings.
In Greece it is deemed that couples will have bad luck if they get married during a leap year. One in five engaged couples in Greece will not plan or get wed during a leap year.
There is about a one in 1,500 chance of being born on a leap day and astrologers believe that such individuals have unusual talents and personalities.
The TUC has campaigned for many years to get the 29th February recognised as a public holiday. They believe that the day gives employers an extra day of free labour. The introduction of an additional holiday has been hard to campaign for, as people would have to wait 4 years to get the day off.
SOURCE:
Yorkshire Evening Post
Karri Madelline is a local freelance journalist who used to work for a Leeds model agency as a discreet Leeds escort.
