Leap years have been with us because the sixteenth century.
Paris:
An additional day each 4 years, what’s to not love? The calendar quirk of February 29 retains us in sync with the seasons however it has additionally spawned a number of rituals and superstitions, to not point out laptop glitches, which AFP unpacks right here:
Why in the future extra?
Leap years have been with us because the sixteenth century, an invention of the Gregorian calendar, launched to take care of a difficult fraction within the photo voltaic 12 months.
Taking into consideration it takes round 365.2422 days annually for the Earth to revolve across the solar, the additional snippet (round six hours a 12 months) provides up over time.
Leap days regulate issues — with out them we might fall out of sync with the seasons, inflicting havoc for farmers and their crops in addition to college holidays.
Most leap years fall each 4 years, however as the additional snippet will not be precisely six hours, they exclude years precisely divisible by 100.
Nevertheless, years similar to 1600, 2000 or 2400 are leap years as they’re precisely divisible by 400.
Eternally younger
For leap day infants, or leaplings, being born on 29 February could imply 4 occasions fewer birthdays, however it is usually, as some like to assert, the important thing to everlasting youth.
At the very least, that is what much-loved French display screen star Michele Morgan appreciated to say throughout her lifetime, which lasted until the ripe previous age of 96.
Amongst different famed or infamous leaplings are Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez, US rap star Ja Rule and serial killer Aileen Wuornos, incarnated by Charlize Theron in her Oscar-winning efficiency for “Monster”.
With the prospect of infants being born on a leap day at one in round 1,500, there are an estimated 5 million leaplings on the planet at present.
Marry me!
In Eire, February 29 is called Bachelor’s Day or Women Privilege, when, custom has it, ladies can suggest to males reasonably than ready to be wooed.
Whereas some declare solely a “Sure” reply is allowed, others say the person can decline, however should purchase his admirer a present.
The custom acquired the Hollywood remedy in 2010 with “Leap Day” starring Amy Adams who follows her beau to Dublin in a bid to ensnare him into marriage by popping the query on the day.
The Irish authorities in 2004 celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Worldwide 12 months of the Household by gifting 100 euros to each youngster born on 29 February.
Freebies
Uncommon days on the calendar are additionally an opportunity for companies to attempt to drum up commerce.
In northeastern US, the Authorized Sea Meals restaurant chain is providing reductions on the area’s beloved dish, lobsters, on February 29.
Pizza chain Papa John’s in 2008 used leap day to launch its Excellent Pan Pizza with the tag line: “One Large Leap for Pankind.”
Leap years additionally generate particular offers in accommodations and on flights.
As US flyer Virgin America put it with certainly one of its promotions: “Why leap when you’ll be able to fly?”
System cannot compute
The existence of an additional day round twice a decade has additionally created its justifiable share of on-line mayhem, by no means extra so than in 2000.
The prediction from doomsayers that January 1 would see a complete info shutdown by no means got here to move, however on February 29 an alarming succession of system errors happened throughout the globe.
This included Japan’s meteorological service sending out defective climate reviews and Montreal’s tax service shutting down.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
