Let's Play Leap Frog on Leap Day!

Ciao tutti on this beautiful 28th day of February!
Happy Birthday to everyone who was born on this day years ago!
Tomorrow is Leap Day! Yay! It only comes one every four years so enjoy it! This topic made me curious: What do you do if you were born on Leap Day??? Do you only celebrate your birthday every four years or do you celebrate it on March 1st on 3 of the 4 years? I know you've asked yourself this question. Don't lie!

So here is some info on Leap Day cuz I know you all are dying to know:

Most have to wait every four years to "officially" observe their birthdays, but leap year babies typically choose either February 28 or March 1 to celebrate in years that aren't leap years. According to astrologers, those born under the sign of Pisces on February 29 have unusual talents and personalities reflecting their special status.

How Leap Year came to Be

2008 is a leap year, with 366 days instead of the usual 365 days. Why?
It was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn't always match up.

That's because it actually takes the Earth a little longer than a year to travel around the Sun — 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact.
Therefore, as the hours accumulated over the centuries, an extra day was occasionally added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more or less official.

It was the Romans who first designated February 29 as leap day. Later, a more precise formula (still in use today) was adopted in the 16th century when the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only divisible by four, i.e., 2008, 2012.
Another stipulation ruled that no year divisible by 100 would have a leap year, except if it was divisible by 400. Thus, 1900 was not a leap year ... but 2000 was! Go figure.

Thankfully, all this intricate plotting will continue to keep us in tune with the seasons over the next several thousand years.

Leap Day Traditions - No Man is Safe

While leap day helped official timekeepers, it also resulted in social customs turned upside down when February 29 became a "no man's land" without legal jurisdiction.

As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for me to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.

The tradition continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288 that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she fancied. Menfolk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair.

A similar modern American tradition, Sadie Hawkins Day, honors "the homeliest gal in the hills" created by Al Capp in the cartoon strip Li'l Abner. In the famous story line, Sadie and every other woman in town were allowed on that day to pursue and catch the most eligible bachelors in Dogpatch. Although the comic strip placed Sadie Hawkins Day in November, today it has become almost synonymous with February 29. Remember the high school Sadie Hawkins Dance???

FUN(NY) FACTS: Yes, bring on the sex(y)

---"Ithyphallophobia" is a morbid fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis. That's sad...
---The word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnazein" which means "to exercise naked."
---Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England - but only in tropical fish stores. (But of course!)
---There are men in Guam whose job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the 1st time. Are you kidding me????

Have a beautiful Leap Day tomorrow and Leap Year! Go play leap frog! I know I will!

Pace ed amore,
Chipmunk