Why you can't get married in leap year 2024: signs

Leap years are widely considered to be difficult and more problematic than usual. This is because of the "extra" day in February that appears once every four years.

In particular, it is believed that getting married in a leap year is bad - the marriage will not work out and there will be no prosperity in the house. OBOZ.UA explains where the practice of leap years came from and what other superstitions are associated with them.

The history of leap years

The fact that a solar year lasts approximately 365 days was calculated by mankind before the beginning of our era. This duration was included in the calendar of the Roman Empire. However, over time, it became clear that this calculation contained a small error that gradually shifted the start date of the new year. After all, the astronomical year was about a quarter of a day longer than the calendar year. Therefore, on January 1, 45 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar by decree, making it a consistent solar calendar. Instead of inserting months, he decided to add one day to February every four years. And this really balanced the calculation of time. Instead of an extra day every four years, three days were now added every 400 years. The calendar proposed by the emperor was called the Julian calendar.

It existed for about 1600 years. Until in October 1582, Pope Gregory XIII adjusted it. After his reform, every year whose serial number is divisible by 4 without a remainder became a leap year, but not years that are divisible by exactly 100. But there is an exception to this rule: years that are divisible by 400. So 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000 were. This system of chronology is called the Gregorian calendar. It is now used all over the world.

Why a leap year is considered unlucky

The reform introduced by Julius Caesar confused people. They did not understand why an extra day was needed, because within one human lifetime, the date shift would still remain unnoticeable.

People then attributed mystical properties to any unexplained phenomena. And as a rule, they were unfavorable. So people decided that such a change disrupts the natural course of events and can only bring harm and misfortune. Therefore, leap years began to cause people to fear and want to protect themselves from the energy of the "extra" day. Thus, they began to consider a year with 366 days to be a year of repentance. People believed that it should be spent praying for sins and doing good deeds. But important decisions, such as marriage, should be avoided.

What are the signs associated with a leap year?

People who get married in a long year were promised quarrels, poverty, betrayal and divorce, or early death of one of the couple. All because of the chaos that allegedly reigns in the world during this period. But the superstitions were not limited to this. There were also other prohibitions. For example, it is supposedly forbidden to marry in a leap year:

• buy a house and move - there will be no happiness in such a house;
• to start big and important things - they would end in failure and losses;
• undertake repairs - they will take a long time, cost much more money than planned, and be unsuccessful;
• planting trees - they will not take root.

What does statistics say about this?

Demographic data convincingly proves that marriages concluded in a leap year do not break up any more often than all others. Similarly, people born on February 29 are no different from the rest of us on average, except that their actual birthday only happens once every 4 years. The rest of the time, the celebration has to be postponed. Moreover, psychologists don't advise you to postpone your life just because it's a leap year on the calendar. You might not only miss the opportunity, but also increase your own anxiety level.

What are the traditions of February 29?

In Scotland and Ireland, an extra day is celebrated as St. Valentine's Day. On this day, any woman can propose marriage to her lover. It was not only not considered a violation of tradition, but a man who dared to refuse had to pay a fine for it-the cost of a silk dress for a woman in love.

Over time, the tradition spread. In Denmark, for example, such a refusal cost a man 12 pairs of gloves so that a woman could hide the absence of a wedding ring, and a resident of Finland had to pay off a skirt with fabric.

In France, in 1980, a special newspaper began to be published in honor of the leap year. It is called La Bougie du Sapeur and contains many satirical notes. In 1928, London bartender Harry Craddock came up with the idea of celebrating February 29 with a special cocktail. It consists of gin, vermouth, lemon juice, and Grand Marnier liqueur. Meanwhile, residents of Anthony, Texas, celebrate the leap year with a fun four-day festival. It is dedicated to people born on February 29. As if to make up for all their missed birthdays.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told how Ukrainian Orthodox Christians will celebrate church holidays in 2024 - it will be the first full year that the OCU will spend according to the New Julian calendar.

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