Like it or not, you get an extra day of life in 2016. This comes in the form of an extra day tacked onto the month of February—commonly known as leap day. To some, this is just another dreadful winter day. But, I guarantee you can have some fun with it. Leap Day is actually wrapped up with some fabulously funny traditions and superstitions. Here’s how you can celebrate the extra day you get this year!
1. Watch Leap Year
It’s a movie. About a girl and a guy who accidentally fall in love. It’s a classic rom-com, starring Amy Adams & Matthew Goode. It includes some fun leap year traditions, Ireland, and some road-tripping. This is a great way to celebrate Febraury 29th.
2. Propose to your man
Because it’s an Irish fable. According to the legend, St Brigid made a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men every four years. Now, it’s a fun tradition where women do some role reversal on this special day. So if you’ve got a man and you wanna get hitched, why not do it this year?
3. Wear 12 pairs of gloves
So in response to the whole marriage proposal thing, there’s a soothing gift if you happen to get rejected.
“In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring.” –Time & Date
4. Celebrate with a Leapling
Leapling is the name given to those lucky kids that are born on leap day. They’re probably the youngest looking one in your friend group, because they only get older every four years. But this means that they really like to live it up when they do get to celebrate their birthdays. If you know a leapling, celebrate their birthday like there won't be another one for four years.
5. Join the Honor Society
So now I’m just talking to the leaplings. Apparently, there is a special club just for those special 10,000 some humans born on leap day.
6. Don’t get married
Yes. I’m having a hard time keeping it straight too. Do get engaged. Don’t get married. Because, according to the Greeks, it’s unlucky to get married on leap year, but especially on leap day.
7. Celebrate St. Oswald
Leap day also happens to be St Oswald’s Day. This dude was the archbishop of York who died on February 29, 992, so he gets a special memorial day on February 29th.
8. Eat a Caesar Salad
And thank Julius Caesar that we have leap years. Julius Caesar introduced the first leap year around 46 B.C. He messed up a bit on the math though, so Pope Gregory XIII corrected this when we got the Gregorian calendar. You can still have that Caesar dressing though. He was a cool guy.
9. Go to Anthony
Because that’s where leap year babies live it up! Every four years, the towns of Anthony, New Mexico and Anthony, Texas have a rockin' festival to make sure that these special people get the party they deserve!
10. Avoid Aurora, Illinois
Especially if you’re a single guy. Because in the early 1900s, women would get to be police officers for the day and they would run around the town arresting the bachelors and charging them fines. Crazy, yes. Finding sketchy ways to make government money, yes. Messed up politics, yes. Sounds like Illinois.
11. Don’t get on a boat.
Because, ironically enough, the Titanic Sank on Leap Day back in 1912. Maybe you’re not superstitious, but it just sounds like a good idea to avoid boats and ice-burgs this February 29th.
Hit up Time & Date or Cleveland if you want more details on leap day fun.