As you would expect February 29th is a bit bereft of anniversaries, but did you know..........
Anyone born on this day is said to be unlucky in Scottish culture, and referred to as “Leaplings.” True, they don’t get to celebrate many birthdays, but to make things worse, Scottish tradition adds on another layer by saying that leaplings are doomed to a lifetime of “untold suffering.” They also consider leap years as doomed for farmers, as the saying goes: “Leap year was never a good sheep year.”
Ithink we all know that it is the day of the year a lady can traditionally propose toher man, but in Scotland women intending to propose are advised to wear a red petticoat visible to their love – perhaps to give them fair warning! ;) Tradition also stated that any man who refused a Leap Day proposal should be issued with a fine, which could range from money to silk gowns.
If you are trying to work out the math on what you're exact age would be if you were born on February 29th, then you are in luck.
I generally consider myself a fairly grounded person, but when I manage to biff a dice roll with an 85% chance of success seven times in a row, I can't help but start to wonder.
Just thinking about Wild Blue Yonder and the Welsh tradition of Mari Lwyd (the horse skull that visits your door), and the Doctor treating the no-things like evil spirits with the salt and then being worried about invoking a superstition at the End of the Universe…
…and then there’s the captain of the ship, literally a horse skull, knocking at the door, invoking this tradition that is shrouded in mystery and is thought to have been originally meant as a way of warding off evil spirits…
The night I took these I heard hissing in the woods and a horrendous wave of freezing air rushed over my body. The tell-tale signs of the Carolina haints my grandma spoke of.
"There are no gods, no devils, no angels. No heaven or hell.
There is only the natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."
-- Anne Nicol Gaylor