Leap Year Weddings and Proposals

Leap Day (February 29) comes once in four years but some couples still choose this day to get married. Couples marrying on this day have to remember their anniversaries once every four years making it even more special. However, there are many traditions associated with leap year weddings that make people superstitious about the whole thing. But there are some positive stories as well… Let’s find out.

Traditions and beyond

Did you know that women are officially allowed, in some cultures, to actually propose to men on February 29? It’s believed that this brings in a lot of good luck.

According to old Irish traditions, women get the perfect chance to get down on their knees and propose to a man on a leap day. This is known as the Sadie Hawkins Day. This tradition goes back to hundreds of years even when the leap year was not recognized by English law and had no legal status.

Single women typically have to wait for men to ask them out; this day however makes it different for them. It is thought that the leap year corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year (365 days) and the time it takes for the earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to fix a tradition that was one-sided and unfair.

Couples who marry on the leap day

Many couples find the idea of getting hitched on the lead day very appealing. Hazel Smith and Keith Webb decided to get married on this day after getting engaged on Christmas. “It appealed to our sense of humour. Our anniversary will only be once every four years. If I forget after that my life won’t be worth living”. Keith said and laughed.