Leap day brings additional significance
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—February 29 being a Leap Day has brought greater significance to the year 2008, a Leap year. The year 2008 is a leap year in the calendar as February has five Fridays and the month begins and ends on a Friday. A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted, or intercalated, with 29 days as opposed to the normal 28 days. A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.
A leap year or intercalary year contains one extra day as a way to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. So February has 29 days instead of the usual 28. Leap Year are needed to keep the calendar in alignment with the earth’s motion around the sun. In the Gregorian calendar, the one used by most modern countries, the certain rules decide which years are leap years. Every year divisible by four is a leap year but every year divisible by 100 is not a leap year, unless, the year also divisible by 400.
The most recent year in which February comprised five Fridays was in 1980, and the next occurrence would be in 2036. There are many traditions and superstitions surrounding leap years, and several of them are regarding marriage.
According to a website www.timeanddate.com, leap day was also known as “Bachelor’s Day” in some countries. Traditional marriage roles were reversed on that day and women were allowed to propose to men. Men who refused would be expected to pay reparations, usually in the form of a new dress or money. Also, in Greece, it is considered bad luck to marry in a leap year, so couples in some countries intentionally avoid marrying in one of those years. Another astonishing fact related with Leap Year Day is that the child who is born in Leap Year on February 29, he would get a chance to celebrate his birthday after every four years. He would deprive of the happiness of Birthday which his friends and family members celebrate every year.
A person born on February 29 may be called a “leapling”. In common years they usually celebrate their birthdays on 28 February or 1 March.