KYLE M. JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

Feb. 29 has been reinstated into 2012 calendars for a significant purpose.

The day, which last took place in 2008, occurs every four years as a way to prevent a loss of time.

According to an article on timeanddate.com, “It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to circle once around the Sun.”

Without the additional day, we would lose about six hours from our calendar every year. The article puts this into perspective by stating that after a century, our calendar would lose about 24 days.

The day has not always been the subject of a flawless system, beginning with its introduction.

“Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years in the Roman empire over 2000 years ago, but the Julian calendar had only one rule: any year evenly divisible by 4 would be a leap year. This lead to way too many leap years, but didn’t get corrected until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar more than 1500 years later,” the article states.

The Gregorian calendar is the common calendar of the present-day.

While it was in Rome that Caesar introduced the Leap Year, there are many traditions and customs associated with the day from other countries.

“St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every four years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how Leap Day balances the calendar,” another article on timeanddate.com states.

The article goes on to share that in Scotland, it is considered unlucky to be born on Leap Day, and in Greece it is considered unlucky to marry during the entire year and especially on Leap Day.

In spite of its occasionally ominous presence for some cultures, the day is typically embraced in many areas of the world with enthusiasm and a cause for celebration.