Leap Year! Every four years, we got an additional day on the calendar. To those born on this day, Happy Birthday! May you have the happiest day! For this particular time comes a special moment to people who can actually celebrate their real natal date, February 29. It is indeed overwhelming to the celebrants. When I was a little girl, I asked my grandmother why it was called a leap year. She gave me an example; if my birthday last year were on Thursday, the next one is not a Friday but Saturday; it leaps, that’s why it’s called a leap year. Normally, if not a leap year, it would be the next day. Is it true that the earth rotates 365 days in a year? According to the measurement from the March equinox ‒ called the tropical year, to complete the circle of the earth to the sun, 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds needed. The Gregorian calendar of which we use only has 365 – called the common year but must add another day to compensate for the hours lost for the last three years. Plus the time on the fourth, which totals less than twenty-four hours but considered a day added to the shortest month, February ‒ called the leap year. Otherwise, in the years ahead, the months would be shorter. There are also leap years in different calendars like Chinese, Hebrews and few others. I get utterly excited every leap year; it gives me an additional day to make my day truly happy, happens once in four years.

I bet, it is not only me who gets excited about the leap year, but there are many. It is indeed incredible to think that many people get thrilled. Hang on, human beings get the delight with the combinations of the days in a month as well; I received many in Facebook about it. It says, something like after so many years, it happens that the combinations of 5 Sundays, 5 Saturdays and so on and so forth. But really, as a child, I looked at the calendar very often. One of the reasons: to check the dates of the feast of Patron Saints. I love festivals; even now. My parents made sure that we celebrate the Fiesta where we lived, visitors will come. Plenty of food on the table. But, some of the Fiestas do not have the exact date but celebrated either first or third Sunday of the month. I can vividly remember that I came across 5 Sundays in January not once. The Feast of the Patron Saint where I lived when I was a child always falls in the third week of January. I checked the calendar and saw 5 five Sundays and 5 Mondays and 5 Saturdays in January of 1966. August of 1969 had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. Try to go back to the calendar of years gone by. We all encountered few combinations of 5 Sundays, five Mondays and so forth, in this lifetime. Therefore, combinations of different days, not unusual. But, I must say that every time I see more Sundays in a month, my excitement prevails; I don’t know the reason. I also consider leap year as special. To celebrate this day, I wrote a poem. HAPPY LEAP YEAR TO ALL! May this day bring us all happiness and good luck!

ADDED BLISS

BY: VIRGINIA CLOSE