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Culture July 24, 2017
It's the woman's turn to pop the question!
Photo via Instagram / @sytinviteWhen it comes to the 29th of February, one tradition stands apart from the rest: the Leap Day proposal. As European custom has it, once every four years, women are encouraged to propose to their male suitors who may be too timid to pop the question themselves.
The Leap Day proposal was popularized in the 2010 flick “Leap Year.” Amy Adams plays main character Anna, who follows the love of her life to Dublin, Ireland to pop the question.
However, the Leap Day proposal customs date all the way back to 461 A.D.
ENTITY is here to explain Leap Day proposal legends and show off the cute ways women have proposed to their boyfriends on Leap Day.
Europe is ripe with Leap Day proposal legends. Although most of the Leap Day proposal legends have been debunked, it hasn’t stopped people from practicing them today.
The most popular Leap Day proposal custom is Irish. The Irish legend stems back to the times of Saint Patrick. Supposedly, Saint Brigid of Kildare persuaded Saint Patrick to allow women to propose to their male suitors once every four years on Leap Day.
As the story goes, Saint Brigid of Kildare proposed to Saint Patrick immediately after he agreed to the Leap Day proposal custom. Sadly, he rejected her offer. But to make up for it, he gave her a silk gown.
This fashionable offering then became a tradition. If a man turns down a woman’s proposal on Feb. 29, he is supposed to give her clothes or fabric as compensation.
Historians debunked this theory because Saint Brigid was only nine when Saint Patrick died, making it unlikely the two had a close relationship.
The Leap Day proposal custom in Scotland is said to stem from a law Queen Margaret enacted in 1288. Allegedly, the unmarried queen made it possible for women to propose to men on Leap Day as long as they wore a red petticoat to warn the man that they intended to propose.
Historians also debunked the Scottish legend, however, because Queen Margaret was only five when the alleged law was enacted. They also could not find any substantiative evidence that the law ever existed at all.
In fact, some Scotts today believe Leap Day is bad luck in the same sense that people view Friday the 13th as unlucky.
In Finland, if you refuse a marriage proposal, you must gift the woman enough fabric to make a skirt.
And in Denmark, a marriage refusal requires the man to give the woman 12 pairs of gloves to hide her ringless finger.
Greeks also consider the Leap Day proposal and leap year in general to be bad luck. Engaged couples will purposefully wait to get married until the year passes.
Meanwhile, in America, the Leap Day proposal is more of a fun idea to celebrate a relationship and it doesn’t necessarily mean the proposal is serious. However, some couples in the states do consider the day a legitimate opportunity for a woman to prompt her man to take their relationship to the next level.
Here are some of the cutest Leap Day proposals on Instagram:
With the hashtag “He said yes,” it’s pretty obvious what Mikey’s answer was. This cute cake and bejeweled skull ring adds a personal touch to the Leap Day proposal.
Gem-themed artist Kurt Pio designed this diamond painting for a buyer looking to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day. Although, we totally wouldn’t mind using Feb. 29 to propose to the artist.
The caption on this cute but silly Ring Pop proposal reads:
“He said ‘yes.’ Lol, but he also said that he will be the one to officially and properly ask me. Happy Leap Day, everyone! Enjoy this extra day we have been given.”
So ladies, if you want to take the big step with your man, Feb. 29 gives you the perfect opportunity to get down on one knee.
