Leap Day

February 29 is a date that only occurs every four years, and is called a leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days.

According to folk tradition of the English-speaking world it is acceptable for women to propose marriage to their boyfriends in a leap year like this one. However in Greece it is considered bad luck to get married in a leap year.

People who are born on the 29th of February are called leaplings and they usual celebrate their birthdays on the 28th of February or the 1st of March. There are approximately 4 million leaplings in the world, about 30,000 of which reside in Spain (according to Europa FM this morning)

Here is an interesting article in an American newspaper about leaplings and the tradition adn explanations behind leap years.