So, why the name "Leap Year"? Some say its because we leap forwards four years. But could it also be a leap backwards?
In any other year, March 1st comes after February 28th. So the insertion of an extra day in between would indicate the extension of a year (I know its not an extension per se- we round up the extra 1/4th days of the year on the fourth year), so maybe the leap forwards theory could hold true, but March 1st is delayed by a day, so how could a delay be a leap forwards? Some say its because in any other year, a given date, like maybe March 30th, should it fall on a Tuesday, it would then fall on a Wednesday the next year. But in a Leap Year it would fall instead on a Thursday, so it skips a day, hence the leap forward. But if that's so then what about people born on Feb 29th- Leaplings or Leapers they're called. There;s this 52 year old man who is born on Feb 29th, so his actual age is 13. I guess one could say that his chronological age has leaped backwards, but then he has walked this earth for 52 years, so has he himself leaped forwards, leaving his age behind? Augh!
And didn't I read somewhere that the 2004 Tsunami altered earth's revolution in some way by some nanosecond(s) and so traditional time has shifted or something? If that's true, would the span of a leap year be longer- or shorter? And would it be a forwards or a backwards leap? And would movies based on the manipulation of time/space continuum have to revise their theories a bit? And if the Tsunami didn't change anything, then why am I wasting time thinking about it?
I went and consulted that repository of all wisdom, Wikipedia, and it supplied me with a whole lot of gobbledygook about Gregorian, Hindu, Iranian and Coptic calendars and it even threw in an algorithmic formula and a Boolean expression. Greaaaat help, Wiki, way to
( Insert Previous picture here again, yay)
Interesting info, though-
In some countries, a woman may propose marriage to a man on a Leap Year. If the man refuses, he is liable to pay fines such as
- a kiss (the utter condescension!)
- 12 pairs of gloves (....)
- material for a skirt ( Can i change that to material for a billowy blouse?)
- a silk gown (Can i change that to silk underwear?)
And a woman who intends to propose to a man should either wear breeches (will jeans suffice?) or a scarlet petticoat (ooh,I like).
So what's the modern equivalent if a man refuses a woman's marriage proposal on a Leap Year? I'm so looking to upgrade my wardrobe with the "compensations" collected from a few rejected marriage proposals :)
In any other year, March 1st comes after February 28th. So the insertion of an extra day in between would indicate the extension of a year (I know its not an extension per se- we round up the extra 1/4th days of the year on the fourth year), so maybe the leap forwards theory could hold true, but March 1st is delayed by a day, so how could a delay be a leap forwards? Some say its because in any other year, a given date, like maybe March 30th, should it fall on a Tuesday, it would then fall on a Wednesday the next year. But in a Leap Year it would fall instead on a Thursday, so it skips a day, hence the leap forward. But if that's so then what about people born on Feb 29th- Leaplings or Leapers they're called. There;s this 52 year old man who is born on Feb 29th, so his actual age is 13. I guess one could say that his chronological age has leaped backwards, but then he has walked this earth for 52 years, so has he himself leaped forwards, leaving his age behind? Augh!
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| Have always wanted to use this picture, yay! |
And didn't I read somewhere that the 2004 Tsunami altered earth's revolution in some way by some nanosecond(s) and so traditional time has shifted or something? If that's true, would the span of a leap year be longer- or shorter? And would it be a forwards or a backwards leap? And would movies based on the manipulation of time/space continuum have to revise their theories a bit? And if the Tsunami didn't change anything, then why am I wasting time thinking about it?
I went and consulted that repository of all wisdom, Wikipedia, and it supplied me with a whole lot of gobbledygook about Gregorian, Hindu, Iranian and Coptic calendars and it even threw in an algorithmic formula and a Boolean expression. Greaaaat help, Wiki, way to
( Insert Previous picture here again, yay)
Interesting info, though-
In some countries, a woman may propose marriage to a man on a Leap Year. If the man refuses, he is liable to pay fines such as
- a kiss (the utter condescension!)
- 12 pairs of gloves (....)
- material for a skirt ( Can i change that to material for a billowy blouse?)
- a silk gown (Can i change that to silk underwear?)
And a woman who intends to propose to a man should either wear breeches (will jeans suffice?) or a scarlet petticoat (ooh,I like).
So what's the modern equivalent if a man refuses a woman's marriage proposal on a Leap Year? I'm so looking to upgrade my wardrobe with the "compensations" collected from a few rejected marriage proposals :)
1 comment:
Scarlet petticoat.. scarlet petticoat.. which reminds me I'm going shopping tomorrow :P But I read somewhere that the proposing could only be done on March 1st, which unfortunately is behind us now.
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