A leap year happens once every four years. We add this extra day in February every four years because the Earth doesn’t make a full rotation around the sun in a perfect 365 days, but rather 365.25 days. Even though this is a natural phenomenon, many different cultures worldwide use this opportunity to participate in rare traditions!

     For example, in Ireland, a tradition was born around the fifth century where women propose to their partners on the 29th. Over time, however, this tradition has spread to countries throughout Europe. In Scotland, the women who intend to propose wear a red dress as a “warning” to their significant other. On the other hand, the Greeks avoid marriage for the entirety of the leap year, as ancient superstitions say that those who get married during this time are more likely to get divorced.

     In France, they have a newspaper that only publishes once every leap year. This newspaper sells more than 150,000 copies each leap year, more than the daily newspaper in France. Back in Scotland, a leap year is considered a bad year for their livestock. There is an old saying that goes, “Leap year was ne’er a good sheep year” because it is considered a bad year to raise  livestock, even though there is no significant evidence this is true.