Leap Year - What will you do with do with this extra special day?

This post is not about leadership, but does pose some questions to reflect on how you want to use your time

We all know the rhyme to help us remember the irregularity of the days in the month

" Thirty days hath September, April, June and November.?

All the rest have thirty-one, Except for February alone, which has twenty-eight days clear

And twenty-nine in each leap year"

So, 2024 as a leap year gives us the extra day – 29th February!

Since the beginning of time and civilisation, humanity has measured time initially using the stars and some of the repeating patterns that were observed in the heavens, which regulated when crops with planted.

We know from archaeology and incredible sites such as Stonehenge that ancient peoples were aware of the motion in the sky and?that these motions repeated. This repetition allows for prediction. Whether you’re a nomadic or agricultural society — pulling animals along or cultivating plants—you need to know the times to take on these activities for the highest chance of success and survival!

So, the first calendars, which typically were either solar or lunar-based were developed. ?The Ancient Greeks made a tremendous breakthrough some 2,500 years ago when they calculated the length of a year at 365.25 days.

It wouldn’t do if we all did the same

The Roman Empire since its founding in 753 BCE, followed a 10?month calendar based on the lunar cycle. The months of the Roman Republic calendar took inspiration from their gods. The Romans later developed a 12-month version during their Republic period from 506–27 BCE.

The Roman’s version had only 355?days in a year. Because it takes the earth approximately 365.2422?days to revolve around the Sun, the calendar rapidly became out of line with the Sun’s place in its movement. The seasons and equinoxes began to drift.

The Romans undertook calendar adjustments to align the days and seasons, which could be movement of a few days - to up to a month. These adjustments, whilst executed across the whole of the Roman Empire were coordinated, they were very disruptive, and people record at the time that they felt cheated of days, pay and life. ?The Roman calendar had shifted well off the alignment of the traditional solar year, causing widespread administrative and military concerns.

Julius Caesar addressed this in part with the help of Greek mathematician and astronomers with the introduction of the Julian calendar in 45BCE. This would remain the standard across the western world until the 1500s. Even though it was much more accurate than calendars that came before it, the difference between the 365.25?days per year and the actual 365.2422 was enough that each year, the calendar drifted 11?minutes. Over 100 years this is 24 days!

As the drift continued – 11 minutes every year, misalignment continued, until in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar?which took out three leap?years every 400?years, reducing the drift even more and on its introduction in 1582 skipped or leapt from the 5th to the 18th October. Many people complained that they had lost 13 days of their lives!

To maintain the alignment going forward the following algorithm aids consistent future calculation

if?(year?is not?divisible by 4)?then?(it is a common?year) else if?(year?is not divisible by 100)?then?(it is a leap?year) else if?(year?is not divisible by 400)?then?(it is a common?year) else?(it is a leap?year).

The Islamic calendar is even more unique. It follows the phases of the moon?and doesn't add extra days. Since a lunar year is only about 355 days long, key dates on the Islamic calendar move 10 to 11 days earlier each year on the solar calendar.

For example, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In 2024, it will run from March 11th to April 9th; in 2025, it will occur from March 1st-29th; and in 2026, it will be celebrated from February 18th to March 19th.??

Other fun facts about Leap Days:

Birthdays

Those born on 29th February don't always get to celebrate their actual birthday — since that date occurs only every four years. A ‘Leapling’, someone born on Leap Day typically celebrates birthdays on February 28th or March 1st. February 29th this still used for identification and important documents.

Unlucky for some?

In Scotland, it used to be considered unlucky for someone to be born on Leap Day, just as?Friday 13th?is considered an unlucky day by many.

Greeks consider it unlucky for couples to marry during a leap year, and especially on Leap Day.

Proposals

In Ireland and Britain, it is a?tradition that women may?propose marriage?only on the 29th February (in Leap Years) overturning the (perceived) traditional order. ?

12 pairs of Gloves

In some places, Leap Day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day.

In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on February 29th 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.

St Oswald’s Day

Leap day is also St Oswald’s Day, named after the archbishop of York who died on February 29, 992. He was and Anglo-Saxon Archbishop, and is the patron saint of soldiers, known for his compassion and kindness to poor people.

Time and your extra leap day

So what will you do with this additional day on 29th February?

1.??? Is it just another day like any other or can you find the extraordinary in it and create something special?

2.??? What would it be helpful to align in your life?

3.??? How do you want to use your time – not only the additional 24 hours, or 1440 minutes of the 29thFebruary 2024, but every minute of each day?

4.??? What Leap could you make in your thinking or actions to help you move forward

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#Leapyear #alignment #calender #useyourtime #leapforward

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