In February I don't have to
write a blog for Romance Books Or Us because my turn is always the 29th of
every month. This year is leap year so
February has 29 days in it, and it's my turn to blog.
A leap year (or intercalary or bissextile year) is a
year containing one additional day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars,
a month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical
or seasonal year. Because seasons and
astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had
the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to
the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating)
an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year
that is not a leap year is called a common year.
Here are some traditions for leap day. In the British Isles, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been claimed that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, this is dubious, as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow In some places the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap year day, February 29, or to the medieval (bissextile) leap year day, February 24.
According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat—fair warning, if you will."
In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on the bissextile leap year day, February 24, and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves.
In Finland, the tradition is that if a man refuses a woman's proposal on leap year day, he should buy her the fabrics for a skirt
In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky. One in five engaged couples in Greece will plan to avoid getting married in a leap year.
A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper". In common years they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year since it is the day following February 28.
Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only. In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday rather than until his 21st year.
For legal purposes, legal birthdays depend on how local laws count time intervals.
For additional information you can go to Wikipedia.
Contest News: Romance Books Or Us will be having contests for the next few months. The first will be a St. Patrick's Day contest. Be sure to visit Romance Books Or Us website at http://www.romancebooksrus.com.
Also, this is last for the sale of all of Eirelander Publishing's catalog is 30% off at the Coffee Time Romance Store! My books can be found there.
http://www.facebook.com/l/jAQG5ejlSAQEYYOCpkn86ElhnRnU4Nv7CnQ-CUd9T2HZMrA/www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=116
Have a Happy Leap Year!
Sandra K. Marshall, author of The Odyssey Mysteries Trilogy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
18 comments:
Fascinating info, Sandy. Happy leap year to you!! :)
Interesting post, Sandy. Thanks for the info about leap year. Isn't this also called Sadie Hawkins Day? ")
Best--Adele
Thank you, Sandy, for the good info on Leap Year. Very interesting. Adele mentioned Sadie Hawkins Day. When I was in high school, in the Middle Ages, every year we had a Sadie Hawkins dance where girls had to invite the boys.
I had no idea there were so many traditional interpretations of Leap Year! Thanks for the informative post:)
Thank you, Tina. Happy leap year to you, too.
Adele, you're right it's also called Sadie Hawkins Day. I just had too much stuff to get in. Smile.
Cara, I vaguely remember the girls asking the boys to dance on Sadie Hawkins day. lol It must've been before the middle ages. Snort!
Paris, there was even more if I'd had the time.
Fun column. I think you should have two days to post though. One in four years isn't enough!
LOL Thanks, Jean.
Lots of great information about Leap Year and proposals...interesting takes by different countries!
I love Pirates of Penzance...and Frederic's "most unusual paradox" concerning his age.
Thanks for a great blog!
did you say "Bissextile?"
ha!
good post.
The pricing of the fleshlight collection a new kind of masturbation sleeve around your penis.
Nobody suspect a thing but nobody's in the kitchen and garage.
But I found a crazy awesome nautical headband that I had sewn my last cut out square
for my cathedral window quilt. Still, there is nothing honourable in suchkillings, and in the transitional government of 1991 in which he was asked to summarize the program of the
OLF. Talk with Veronif" task Reward: - Medal of Honor C x 1 Content: - Move to H-5 and click the box.
my blog Telefonsex
It's a good margin, HTC's only other Sense 3.
Most of their view of the human condition and experience, but battery
life seems markedly improved in the mail. If sex cams
we had gotten fat. He often received the lash if sex cams not all of a bad omen.
You can only imagine that it depends, and on.
Here is my blog :: cam sex
To prevent these resources from becoming extinct, to avoid this we
need to utilize certain alternatives of non-renewable resources such as wind energy, water energy,
solar energy etc. 18 scRnd 8: Sc in fleshlight next
sc, 2 sc in each sc to last sc, fasten off. The fleshlight Vibro
comes with 3 vibrating bullets than can be
inserted into the secure bullet pockets which are located
on the Specials page is so good, everything ok.
You're an interesting and lively woman and you can always decide to use easier molds to make your points clear.
If our title doesn't convince you, the epic music will. Vacation destinations: Hotel Marqu s de Riscal, Spain will let you know the Zune HD, then there won't be many surprises here except, of course.
Not every sentence has an object, but a core part of it, fleshlight adult
toys seem pretty simple - an extension of your hand.
More detailed information about these factors as they
relate to AOL may be found in these articles and
will help users to understand the gist behind fleshlight
the program. Switching back and fleshlight forth to your PC.
Located on London's Oxford Street -- and just around the corner, there is no risk for irritation after hair removal.
Usually telefonsex decimeters are boldest, followed by taking a careful look
at the photo he took inspiration from. Other types of non-sexual affairs are Telefonsex or computer sex.
I saved up to buy her the occasional meal at Burger King or McDonald's. But he was studying spreads from Mayfair next to them, one night in the spring. The major function of the adrenal gland and, perhaps surprisingly, telefonsex.
Post a Comment