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Friday, March 29, 2024

Leap Year Myths 101

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Once every four years, an extra day is added to the calendar – a phenomenon we all know as Leap Year – like this 2016. It was Julius Caesar who introduced the extra day in 45 B.C. to simplify the calendar, and make up for that additional revolution of the planet. However, the rare and mysterious occurrence brought with it various superstitions that continue to survive today. 

Among these superstitions and strange notions include the refusal to make any significant changes in life such as getting married or having a baby. The Philippines’ leading health institution Makati Medical Center debunks some of the most popular and strange leap year myths that are known today.

‘Children born during a leap year are no different from those born in any other year,’ says Dr. Rita Josephine E. Dolendo, chairman of Makati Med’s Department of Pediatrics 

But first things first. What exactly is a leap year? The earth revolves around the sun for 365.24 days. To take the extra hours into account, people used to observe a 355-day calendar with an extra month every two years. When Julius Caesar came into power, he ordered this system simplified to a 365-day year with an extra day every four years. But that’s not the only rule. According to Pope Gregory XIII, a year divisible by 100, but not by 400, is not a leap year. This makes the year 2000 a leap year under the Gregorian calendar, but not 1900. 

The chances of being born on leap day are odd – one in 1,461 – and those born on February 29 are referred to as “leapers” or “leaplings.” 

So what are the strange myths that people observe during a leap year such as 2016? Here are some.  

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Change is not good. It seems that everything from a simple makeover to starting up a business is taboo for this year. For some reason, people are convinced that the leap year is entirely unsuitable for new beginnings. 

According to Dr. Rene M. Samaniego of MakatiMed’s Section of Psychiatry, “Being something that isn’t part of the norm, the leap year can affect our customary worldview. And as a rule, most people are afraid of anything ‘supernatural’ or different from what they’re used to, so superstitions like these are created.” 

Statistics however show that trips are taken, jobs are changed and businesses flourish even during a leap day, so why should one turn down a great offer – like a fantastic new job for example – just because it was proposed during a leap year? 

Mortality goes up. The leap year drives belief that the mortality rate increases around the world, yet official statistics would show that the number of people born in a leap year remain in the standard. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority website, 1,790,367 live births in the country were reported during the previous leap year in 2012. As to the number of deaths during leap year, we have yet to get sufficient data to prove this belief.

No weddings, divorces or babies. Old superstitious folks would dissuade couples from tying the knot on a leap year because the marriage will supposedly end badly. They also say that one should not engage in a separation, otherwise one will never find happiness again. Contrast this to the old Irish tradition of women proposing on leap day – a practice that supposedly started when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about how unfair it is that women have to wait for suitors to propose. So St. Patrick then gave women a day in a leap year to ask the men – and this fell on the last day of the shortest month. 

Dr. Rita Josephine E. Dolendo, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics of Makati Med, says on the superstition regarding babies: “It’s a good thing many aren’t taking the advice because we’ll probably be facing a demographics crisis every four years if they did! I can say that children born during a leap year are no different from children born in any other year.”    

Older people shouldn’t celebrate their birthdays. Another leap year myth says that the elderly shouldn’t celebrate their birthdays at all during this time because this may trigger disaster. Aside from this being terribly unfair (seniors should have fun on their big day!) and quite baseless, Dr. Samaniego says that “Telling our grandparents about this could actually affect them more, and cause them to be nervous and expect the worse. We shouldn’t give them unnecessary anxiety.”

For more information, contact MakatiMed On-Call at 8888.999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.

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