Today i.e. 29th February 2024 is the last day of the month of February. This day is also special because every year February has 28 days, only once in 4 years February has 29 days. Not only this, the year 2024 will have 366 days instead of 365, because it is a leap year. For this reason, February in every leap year has 29 days instead of 28. Know how one extra day is added to 365 days.
Leap Year
Let us tell you that there is a leap year every four years. The year 2020 was a leap year, so next time it will come in the year 2028. According to our calendar, there are 365 days in a year, because this is the time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the Sun, although this period is not 365 days but a little more. The Earth takes 365.242190 days to complete one revolution around the Sun. This makes 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds. However, these extra hours are added every few years to accommodate an extra day in the fourth year.
Many customs regarding leap years
There are also various customs and superstitions associated with leap years. For example, in Ireland it is celebrated as Bachelor’s Day. Also known as Ladies’ Privilege, is an Irish custom that allows women to propose marriage to men on Leap Day. It became famous through stories related to St. Bridget and St. Patrick. Stories say that Bridget went to Patrick to complain that women had to wait too long to get married, as men usually delayed proposing. Bridget demanded that women should also be given a chance.
Why only in February?
In ancient Rome, after Emperor Julius Caesar added Leap Day. The month of February was chosen for this. A leap year was included in the Julian calendar to adjust it to the solar year. When the Julian calendar changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, a leap day was added to February. If there were no leap years and extra time were not observed in calendars, the start and end times of the seasons would be slightly different. If there were no leap years in our calendar, it would be winter in June at the North Pole, while it would be summer at the South Pole.
Also read: Why don’t policemen in Kolkata wear khaki colored uniform, this is the logic of white dress.