In honor of our Countdown to the Leap into Love Party, I looked up Leap Year traditions on Google.
The tradition which caught my eye first was the one where a woman could propose marriage to a man on February 29th. The custom has been attributed to St. Bridget, who supposedly complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for men to propose marriage. So, St. Patrick chose one day (in four years) where a woman could pop the question to the man she wanted to marry.
I wonder how often in the past this has happened, and if the groom took her seriously and said "yes"? You can see if the man was shy, this would help the couple get around to the ceremony. But I'm sure some men were totally caught by surprise.
And if the man said no to the woman's proposal of marriage? Another tradition said the man had to give the woman gloves then to hide her ringless finger.
Can you imagine this happening today? Suppose the couple is at a big basketball game, she's proposing marriage and it's being seen on the jumbotron overhead. How would the man act? Surprised, embarrassed, happy? What if he adamantly shook his head no?
However a Leap Year proposal turned out at a big sports event, you can be sure it would be seen on Youtube forever.
Let's hope there are many successful marriages from this leap year's proposals!
Day #2 of Countdown to Leap into Love featuring:
Linda Hubalek
Linda Hubalek
Learn more about this author by visiting her author page. Click HERE
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To chat with all of our authors and have a chance to win more prizes, join us at our
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I love to read and write about the twenty years after the Civil War, because that's when my ancestors moved to Kansas. It's interesting to read what life was like for them during their first years of homesteading.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post on Leap Year--or Ishould say--Leap Day marriage proposals. I especially like the vintage post card on the subject. I have family situations where it was the woman who finally asked "Are we getting married, or not?" Sometimes those men assume there is an understanding, and they are often attracted to women who want it spelled out in no uncertain terms.
ReplyDeleteWow, Linda. That was very interesting. What a great pic also!
ReplyDeleteI like the 1920s because the "new woman" (flappers) were branching out from their traditional roles and finding more personal freedom, in terms of new fashion to entering the workforce. And even more sexual freedom for the more daring.
ReplyDeleteI always associated the leap year with being the Olympic year. Then when they separated the Summer and Winter Olympics with the Summer Olympics only. Now I'll have a new association, the Leap Year marriage proposal by the woman.