Have you ever heard that leap year has been the traditional time that women can propose marriage?

In many of today’s cultures, it is acceptable for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Society doesn’t look down on women who do this. However, that was not always been the case.

In the past, when the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years. That day was February 29.

It is believed that this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about
women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year. So women would wait the four years and pop the question on February 29, crazy?

However, according to English law, February 29 was ignored and had no legal status. People assumed that traditions would also have no status on that day. It was also reasoned that since the leap year day existed to ‘fix a problem’ in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose marriage.

The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. Could you imagine this holding true today?

There have been rumors and myths that any couple who gets married during a leap year will have bad luck throughout their entire marriage. There is a famous Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.

Do you know someone getting married this year, because it is in fact, a leap year!