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Come join us Monday, February 29, 2016 for our Leap Day Celebration, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. We will have snacks all day, and pizza at 4:30 p.m. Take advantage of our one day, in-person only SALE of 29% off all publications! We are located in the Old Courthouse Museum, 103 West Cherry Street, Watseka, Illinois, USA.
You probably know how to determine when a leap day is added to the February calendar. The year has to be a number evenly divisible by 4, and NOT end in 00, unless it is also evenly divisible by 400. For example, 2016 is a leap year, 2017 is not. The year 2000 was a leap year, but the year 1900 was not.
Did you know one of the other Leap Day traditions could cause a man to be given a fine of a public kiss or a nice gift for a single woman? When there were stricter social rules, women were not allowed to propose marriage to a man.
That is until 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait so long for a man to propose. The story goes that St. Patrick said the women could propose on this one day in February.
In English law, February 29th was ignored legally, and people assumed traditions held the same status. In 1288 Scotland,
they supposedly
passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice
in that year. Any man declining the invitation could face fines from a public kiss to buying expensive gifts for the scorned woman.
Happy 2016!
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