No one knows for certain the origin of the custom that allows women to propose marriage on Leap Day. Leap Day, the extra day added every four years to put the calendar year in synch with the solar year. One explanation for the custom comes from Ireland. According to Irish legend, Saint Brigid, an Irish holy woman who lived in the fifth century, complained to Saint Patrick about women having to wait for men to propose. Saint Patrick agreed that this practice was unfair, so he decided that eager females could propose on this one day. A different explanation of the custom comes from medieval England. According to this explanation, people there thought that because Leap Day existed to fix a problem in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust practice. In 1288, the custom became an actual law in Scotland. Not only did the Scottish law allow women to propose on any day during a Leap Year, but it also said that any man who declined a woman proposal had to pay a fine! Whatever its origins, the tradition of women taking the initiative one day a year lives on in Sadie Hwakins Day celebrations held in many communities in the US even today.
cool no?? xD
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