No, 29 is NOT the title for Adele’s next album. From what I’ve read, she’s done with ‘numbers’. But, it does reference an event that happens once every four years – February 29 and/or Sadie Hawkins Day, depending on who you ask.
What IS a Leap Year?
The Earth orbits the sun every 365.2422 days (0.2422 days is equal to 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, roughly 1/4 of a day). Every 365 1/4 days (not exactly 365 days), the Earth returns to the same exact spot in its orbit. That is why we have a leap year roughly every 4 years, to synchronize the seasons with our calendar; if we had a 365-day calendar every year, the seasons would drift around the calendar.
Zoom School/Enchanted Learning site
Random global Leap Year facts –
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In 5th century Ireland, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for men to propose. In response, he deemed one day in February every Leap Year women would be allowed to propose.
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According to Greek superstition, it is bad luck to get married during a Leap Year. Consequently, 1 in 5 engaged Greek couples avoid Leap Year weddings.
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A law passed in Scotland in 1288 allowed for women to propose to men on February 29th. If a man refused, he was fined. Usually that fine was a kiss, silk dress, or a pair of gloves. If you ask me, someone got off easy. Maybe everyone?
Who the hell is Sadie Hawkins?
Sadie Hawkins Day is rooted in the story of Sadie Hawkins, a character created by Al Capp in the comic strip Li’l Abner. Described as “the homeliest gal in the hills,” Sadie was unable get a date; so her father, a prominent citizen in the town of Dogpatch, named a day after her to help Sadie get a man. On Sadie Hawkins Day, a footrace was held in Dogpatch so the women could pursue the town’s eligible bachelors.
Capp’s creation captured the imagination of young people, particularly in high schools and on college campuses. In 1939, only two years after its inauguration, a double-page spread in Life proclaimed, “On Sadie Hawkins Day, Girls Chase Boys in 201 Colleges”. Capp originally created it as a comic plot device, but by the early 1940s the comic strip event had swept the nation and acquired a life of its own.
In the US, Sadie Hawkins Day (SHD) is usually ‘observed’ the first Saturday in November most likely to coincide with the cartoon anniversary – 11/15/1937. However, in recent years celebrating SHD in February has become a pop culture – aka women – phenomenon.
http://leapyearday.com/content/sadie-hawkins-day-no
Why do some want the SHD moved to February 29? You’re guess is as good as mine. Maybe we should ‘propose’ that question to women. They know everything don’t they? (Note: sarcastic tone implied)
