Leap year proposal

Leap year is a phenomenon we have for the calendar year to coincide with the solar year. Therefore, one extra day is put in every four years, which means that the month of February has 29 days instead of 28 during the leap year. In English, this is also referred to as the Intercalary year.

History

According to tradition, it is customary for women to propose during the leap years, and especially on the leap day on 29/2. The custom is said to come from Ireland's patron saint St Patrick, who became an early role model for equality when he decided that women could be given a day to propose every four years. The custom encouraged the woman's invitation to be taken very seriously. The fact that the custom comes from Ireland is highly doubtful since it was not possible to prove this before the 19th century.

On the other hand, there are those who believe that the custom drew inspiration from the late 13th century by Queen Margaret of Scotland when she advertised fines to the men who rejected a woman's marriage, this did not only apply during the leap day but in general.

There are also those who believe that the origin of this custom is because this was the women's only chance to choose a man they actually wanted to marry and not let it be the choice of someone else. If this is true or not is hard to tell. In Finland, tradition says that if a man refuses a woman's marriage during the leap year, he should buy her a skirt. However, there are the countries where all marriages during the leap year are considered unlucky. There the statistics indicate that one actively chooses not to marry this year. But nowadays, we are not as superstitious.

Today

Today, the tradition of proposing during the leap year (and especially on the exact day) is huge in Europe, especially in the UK where studies have shown that just over 30% of England's women are thinking about taking matters into their own hands during this rare day.

In our more modern society today, this custom may seem very outdated as it is becoming increasingly common for women to release. However, we want to inspire all women out there to take this opportunity! Are you planning to get married but do not really find the courage or timing to take the step? Then proposing during a leap year is perfect. It is fun to be able to tell about later in life.