When is the next leap year, and what is the opposite of a leap year called?
February 29th happens every four years and is known as a modern leap day (as opposed to the Medieval leap day: February 24th) or leap year. While the next intercalary year is a solar rotation away (not till 2012), it never hurts to be prepared with origin and precise meaning of the term.
The origin for the term “leap year” is derived from the Medieval Latin saltus lunae or “moon’s-jump” which describes the nineteen-yearly elimination of a day from the lunar calendar. Later, this was transposed into Old English as monan hlyp or “moon’s leap.”
(If you think this already sounds odd, consider the fact that September means “seven,” October means “eight,” yet these are the ninth and tenth months. Learn why this is so, here.)
The Gregorian calendar, modified from the Julian calendar used by the Romans, is the current standard calendar used by most of the world. In order to keep the common calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is added to a year. Adding an additional day to the calendar every four years tries to compensate for the fact that 365 days is actually six hours shorter than a solar year. The other three years are now known as common years.
Other calendars that synchronize with the Gregorian calendar include the Indian National calendar, the revised Bangla calendar and the Thai solar calendar, which uses the Buddhist Era (a lunisolar calendar) but has been synchronized with the Gregorian calendar since 1941.
If your birthday falls on a leap day you’re called a “leaper.” a tradition dating back over four centuries holds that on a leap day a woman may propose to a man. And if the man refuses said proposal? According to a 1288 law enacted by the then five-year-old Queen Margaret of Scotland, the fine for refusing a woman’s proposal was a kiss and a silk gown.
February 29th happens every four years and is known as a modern leap day (as opposed to the Medieval leap day: February 24th) or leap year. While the next intercalary year is a solar rotation away (not till 2012), it never hurts to be prepared with origin and precise meaning of the term.
The origin for the term “leap year” is derived from the Medieval Latin saltus lunae or “moon’s-jump” which describes the nineteen-yearly elimination of a day from the lunar calendar. Later, this was transposed into Old English as monan hlyp or “moon’s leap.”
(If you think this already sounds odd, consider the fact that September means “seven,” October means “eight,” yet these are the ninth and tenth months. Learn why this is so, here.)
The Gregorian calendar, modified from the Julian calendar used by the Romans, is the current standard calendar used by most of the world. In order to keep the common calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is added to a year. Adding an additional day to the calendar every four years tries to compensate for the fact that 365 days is actually six hours shorter than a solar year. The other three years are now known as common years.
Other calendars that synchronize with the Gregorian calendar include the Indian National calendar, the revised Bangla calendar and the Thai solar calendar, which uses the Buddhist Era (a lunisolar calendar) but has been synchronized with the Gregorian calendar since 1941.
If your birthday falls on a leap day you’re called a “leaper.” a tradition dating back over four centuries holds that on a leap day a woman may propose to a man. And if the man refuses said proposal? According to a 1288 law enacted by the then five-year-old Queen Margaret of Scotland, the fine for refusing a woman’s proposal was a kiss and a silk gown.
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