Does February 29th count as a real day? More commonly known as Leap Day, it only occurs once every four years to compensate for the fact that the Earth does not orbit the sun perfectly every 365 days. Since it happens so infrequently, Leap Day is known to have some interesting traditions. For instance, in the UK, women propose to men on Leap Day. CM talked to some college students about their own traditions and thoughts on the ‘holiday’ where anything goes:
“Leap Day is great, but not as great as Leaf Day. I was thinking like, we could throw leaves at everyone everywhere. But really, on Leap Day, I have an economics exam, so it’s a real day.”
– Millie Shi, Freshman, Harvard University
“On leap day I will be pledging. It is a real day, and counts, but it’s not special at all.”
– Tristan Meagher, Freshman, Furman University
“It's just a normal day. One more day between me and spring break!”
– Gussie McGuire, Sophomore, College of William and Mary College
“I sometimes forget about my birthday [which is February 29th], but it makes the real one four times better. Plus it makes for a good 'interesting fact about myself' so I never need one of those."
– Vishnu Kadiyala, Sophomore, Duke University
“You can't just eliminate one day of the year, just because it's so insignificant and occurs once every four years. Just because we skip it, it doesn't allow us to go crazy and do whatever as we please. It's still a part of our lives and won't be erased from our histories. I believe that instead of condemning leap day, we should praise it and use it as a day of rest and celebration…maybe use it as a holiday where everything closes and we just get to rest up. There's no harm in it if it’s going to be once every four years”
– Linus Park, Junior, University of Maryland
Even though, according to these students, Leap Day does in fact count, there is no harm in doing something a bit unexpected on Leap Day- think of it as an excuse to try something new or talk to someone you always wanted to. Since it only happens every four years, it’s not like you have to worry about what next year’s February 29th will be like, mostly because there won’t be one.
