Several age-old traditions are believed to have been followed in Leap Year or on a leap year day.
Listing some of those below, and a bit of folklore which is mere hearsay and may or may not have actually been the case.
As per folklore,
(Or a more plausible reason is that people must have felt "Something has gone terribly wrong with nature, and hence an extra day is being added every 4 years")
In keeping with this general feeling of things gone wrong, traditions involving role reversal may have become more acceptable, such as usually men proposed to women, but in a leap year, a woman could propose marraige to a man.
The most famous such tradition is probably the Irish tradition that has been popularized due to the movie "Leap Year" whose entire story plot was based on this. According to this tradition if a woman proposes marraige to a man on Leap year day, then the man cannot refuse the proposal.
It is said that the tradition in European countries was that women may propose marraige only on leap years, and it is also said that in the 12th or 13th century Queen Margaret of Scotland had even passed a law to the effect that if the man refused such a proposal, then he would have to compensate the woman with a kiss and a new silk gown.
(A variation also says this with an additional condition, that this would apply only when the woman was wearing a red petticoat while proposing).
In Finland, the tradition says the compensation should be gifting fabrics for a new skirt.
In Denmark, is is believed the compensation was 12 pairs of gloves.
According to folklore, men felt that such a law or tradition was a big risk, and this Leap Year law was then later restricted by people to only one day of the Leap Year, which was the leap year day, to minimize this risk.
A lots of such leap year stories still do the rounds each leap year.
Our understanding of science may have grown, but don't we all still enjoy such tales :)
.
Listing some of those below, and a bit of folklore which is mere hearsay and may or may not have actually been the case.
As per folklore,
- Babies born in leap year were thought to be sicklings who would be difficult to bring up & raise.
- Scottish saying, "A leap year is never a good sheep year"
- It was believed that crops will not grow well in a leap year.
- In Greece, marrying in a leap year was said to bring bad luck for the couple.
(Or a more plausible reason is that people must have felt "Something has gone terribly wrong with nature, and hence an extra day is being added every 4 years")
In keeping with this general feeling of things gone wrong, traditions involving role reversal may have become more acceptable, such as usually men proposed to women, but in a leap year, a woman could propose marraige to a man.
The most famous such tradition is probably the Irish tradition that has been popularized due to the movie "Leap Year" whose entire story plot was based on this. According to this tradition if a woman proposes marraige to a man on Leap year day, then the man cannot refuse the proposal.
It is said that the tradition in European countries was that women may propose marraige only on leap years, and it is also said that in the 12th or 13th century Queen Margaret of Scotland had even passed a law to the effect that if the man refused such a proposal, then he would have to compensate the woman with a kiss and a new silk gown.
(A variation also says this with an additional condition, that this would apply only when the woman was wearing a red petticoat while proposing).
In Finland, the tradition says the compensation should be gifting fabrics for a new skirt.
In Denmark, is is believed the compensation was 12 pairs of gloves.
According to folklore, men felt that such a law or tradition was a big risk, and this Leap Year law was then later restricted by people to only one day of the Leap Year, which was the leap year day, to minimize this risk.
A lots of such leap year stories still do the rounds each leap year.
Our understanding of science may have grown, but don't we all still enjoy such tales :)
.
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