The Land Of Myth & Tradition

Ireland is a land rich in myth and tradition. One of those traditions only comes into play once every four years. This tradition began in the 5th century when St. Brigid of Kildare complained to St. Patrick that it often took far too long for men to propose to women. Legend says that St. Patrick decreed that once every four years, on the leap day, February 29th, women could propose to men. There is a myth that the moment he spoke the decree Brigid sank to her knees and proposed on the spot. St. Patrick is said to have declined but offered her a kiss on the cheek and a silk gown to soften the blow. There is some decrepancy in the records speaking of the year of St. Patrick’s death so it is possible that St. Brigid was only nine or ten when he died making this myth unlikely.

The tradition traveled from Ireland to Scotland by Irish monks and nearly seven hundred years later the Scots passed a law that allowed women to legally propose on the leap day, though they must wear a red petticoat. Additionally any man who declined such an proposal would pay a fine. The fine was rumored to be something as easy as a kiss or a silk gown or pair of gloves. The law was supposedly passed by an unmarried Queen Margaret in 1288, though some documents indicate she may only have been five years old.

The tradition lives on in the United States with February 29th being Sadie Hawkins day with the American tradition being that women have the right to chase after unmarried men to propose. In 2010 a romance movie titled Leap Year was made based on this tradition though, true to the legend that these proposals do not always end well, the movie incorporates a few twists and turns though of course eventually coming to a happy ending.