Ascension : Kids Klub
Submitted by The Islander (Sarah Coverdale) 28.02.2008 (Article Archived on 13.03.2008)

Tomorrow is a special day which isn’t celebrated very often – because we don‘t have a leap day very often – in fact only once every four years.

Here are some facts about Leap day.

Why is it called a leap year – well a long itme ago the English law didn’t recognise the day so it was “leapt over” and ignored – hence the tem leap year.

Why do we have a leap day?

The extra day is added to February once every four years to bring the solar days of 365 ¼ days into line with the calendar days of 365.

A leap day tradition

The one day of the year on which traditionally a woman can propose to a man.  I twas considered that as the day had no legal status, then it was reasonable to presume that traditions had no status, so women took advantage of this and proposed to the man that they wanted to marry.  A law once existed in Scotland that if a man was propsed to on this day, then he was not allowed to turn it down!  They were punished if they did by having to pay a very large fine.

This tradition goes back to an old Irish legend concerning St Patrick and St Benedict in the 5^th Century.   St Benedict asked that women have a more active role in choosing who they should marry.  As a result of this, the women could have one day in four years to propose to a man.

You can work out which years will be a leap year if they are dividable by 4.  Years that are evenly divided by 4 such as 2004 and 2008 are leap years, however there are some exceptions when it is a century year – one that starts a new century like 2000.  A century year  (one that ends in two zero’s, 1800, 1900, 2000 etc,  is not a leap year unless it is evenly divided by 400.  This means that 2000 was a leap year and 2400 also will be one but 1800 and 1900 were not.  Can you work out other century years that won’t be leap years either.

I can’t let this page be finished without saying a big Happy Birthday for Nathaniel who although looks like he should be 8 years old, will have only been able to celebrate his actual birthday twice now why might that be?  Have a great day Nathaniel and to everyone else out there – don’t leap over the 29^th – use it to the fullest and make it count by doing something extra special.  Write in and tell me what you did on your extra day. 

And the day after – don’t forget to be as mad as a March Hare!!!

Send in your news, jokes, birthdays, pictures… email to sarah@coverdales.net or drop them in to Bungalow A2 Two Boats Village or send it to Sarah Coverdale, VT comms, English Bay