2024 is a leap year, meaning we have an extra day in February! Leap years come about every four years. The last one was in 2020 and the next one will be in 2028.
Leap Frogs
In the delightful dance of time, Leap Day emerges every four years to keep our calendars in sync with the Earth’s orbit. That’s how frogs, those nimble leapers, have become symbolic of this special day.
A person born on February 29th may be called a “leapling,” a “leaper,” a “leapster,” or a leap day baby. In common years (non-leap years), they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28th or March 1st.
A person born on February 29 would be considered to have aged one year on the day after February 28, since they weren’t born yet on the 28th.
Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon may be exploited for dramatic effect when a person is declared to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap year birthday anniversaries only.
2024 is a special year where leapers can celebrate on the actual anniversary of their birth!
Lucky or Unlucky?
Leap years have been lucky for many but have proved unlucky for some. In general, Greeks, Scots, and Germans think the whole leap year is luckless. However, we like to think that because leap years are more rare than ordinary years, they are lucky years.
A leap year is certainly a lucky year for anyone born on Leap Day!
In the United States, “leaplings” are celebrated in the small town of Anthony, about 20 miles north of El Paso, on the Texas/New Mexico border. A Leap Year Festival is held in honor of them and the entire year.
TV Mahalingam made an infographic on what makes leap years so special and interesting. Check it out below!
