Happy Birthday to all who celebrate their birthdays in leaps! Today is your full day.
I got to know of an English legend and tradition which dates back to the 5th century where Saint Bridget made a complaint to Saint Patrick about deferred marriage proposals to women. As a result, Saint Patrick is said to have set aside 29th February, as the day when women are allowed to “pop the question” to their prospective husbands. In Scotland, a law was passed in 1288 to the effect that any man who refused a woman’s proposal would be obligated to pay a fine. Wow!
The assumption was that the leap day fixes calendar lapses, hence on that same day women would have the opportunity to fix lapses in marriage proposals.
In my side of the world, I don’t think this tradition will catch on. Culturally, it is a taboo, and looking at the prevalent religious practices, it is unacceptable. However, in reality it does happen and the young people call it, “giving a man a scholarship.” But I’d rather a man step up to the plate and be a man in this area, than a woman force him into a commitment that he is unwilling to make on a leap day.
The assumption was that the leap day fixes calendar lapses, hence on that same day women would have the opportunity to fix lapses in marriage proposals.
In my side of the world, I don’t think this tradition will catch on. Culturally, it is a taboo, and looking at the prevalent religious practices, it is unacceptable. However, in reality it does happen and the young people call it, “giving a man a scholarship.” But I’d rather a man step up to the plate and be a man in this area, than a woman force him into a commitment that he is unwilling to make on a leap day.
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