31/01/2017
LEAP DAY: FEBRUARY 29
A Leap Day, February 29, is added to the calendar during leap years . This extra day makes the year 366 days long – not 365 days, like a common year .
When Is the Next Leap Day?
The next leap day is February 29, 2020 .
The last Leap Day was on February 29, 2016.
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Why Add a Leap Day?
Leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the Sun.
It takes the Earth approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. This is called a
tropical year .
Without an extra, or intercalary, day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, a calendar without leap years would be off by approximately 24 days in relation to fixed seasonal days such as the vernal equinox or the winter solstice.
Is There a Perfect Calendar?
Caesar Introduced Leap Years
Roman general Julius Caesar implemented the first leap day in his
Julian Calendar, which he introduced in 45 BCE (Before Common Era). A leap day was added every four years. At the time, leap day was February 24, and February was the last month of the year.
Too Many Leap Years
However, adding a leap day every four years was too often and eventually, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar, which we still use today, has a more precise formula for calculation of leap years, also known as bissextile years.
Traditions & Folklore
Leap day as a concept has existed for more than 2000 years and it is still associated with age-old customs, folklore, and superstition. One of the most well-known traditions is that women propose to their boyfriends, instead of the other way around.
What's a Leap Second?
Leap Months
The ancient Roman Calendar added an extra month every few years to maintain the correct seasonal changes, similar to
the Chinese leap month .
Leap Days 2016 – 2032
Year
February 29 – Day of the Week
2016 Monday
2020 Saturday
2024 Thursday
2028 Tuesday
2032 Sunday
Compiled by::
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