A leap year differs from the usual one in that it does not consist of 365 calendar days, but of 366. Where did this extra day come from?
The history of the origin of the calendar is rooted in the deep past. But it was the Romans who began to count the new year from January 1 by the decree of Julius Caesar in 45 BC. Subsequently, this calendar was named Julian, and Sozigen was recognized as its creator.
The Greek astronomer calculated that one astronomical year is 365 days and six hours. And the peculiarity of the Julian calendar was that every three years there were 365 days, and in the fourth year, one day was added to February. This was done in order to avoid lagging behind space objects and failure of the calendar system.
After Caesar's death, many priests did not fully understand how to make chronology. And for 36 years, they considered every third year as a leap year instead of the fourth. Subsequently, under the reign of Emperor Augustus, several leap dates were canceled.
In addition to the scientific point of view, there is also a religious history of occurrence on February 29. It is associated with the names of St. Kasyan and Nicholas the Pleasant. One day they met a man with a cart who needed help. Kasyan refused and did not begin to drag the cart out of the mud, since he did not want to stain his robe, and Nikolai the Pleasant helped the old man. After death, they went to heaven and were brought before God's judgment. Kasyan was dressed in a clean robe, and Nikolai the Pleasant was dressed in a dirty one. Having learned about the circumstances why they were dressed like that, God decided to deprive Kasyan of the right to celebrate the name day annually, leaving them only once every four years. From here came the superstitions associated with the date of February 29 - the most dangerous day in a leap year is "Kasyanov" day.
Some interesting facts about February 29th:
- only 4 million people on our planet can boast that they were born on February 29; at the same time, the chance of being born on February 29 is 1 in 1500;
- until the 18th century, in some European countries, February 29 was not recognized as an official date: for example, transactions made on the last day of the winter of a leap year were not legally legal;
- Oswald's day is celebrated on this day (according to Irish tradition, only on February 29, a woman had the right to propose to a man, and if she was refused, then a fine was imposed on the groom);
- although February 29 is considered an unlucky day, there have never been any global catastrophes or natural disasters on this date;
- people who were born on February 29 are considered to be special, while they will be endowed with unimaginable talents.
