Leap years has been around for ages. Every four years at the end of February, the month extends to 29 instead of 28 days. Even though 2021 is not a leap year, many people still wonder this change exists in our calendar.

According to CNN, it takes approximately 365 days to orbit the sun. “Without a leap year, we would lose a total of six hours from our calendar, and 24 days after 100 years,” a source on Britannica claimed. To make up for that “lost time,” Pope Gregory XIII decided that in 1582 A.D. Feb. 29 should be added every four years. So, for those who thought that leap year was a waste of time, we actually have a leap year so that time isn’t wasted or lost.

Along with the mathematical science behind leap year, there are also many unusual traditions that some people carry out throughout the world. Some of the top traditions are women proposing to men, the Greeks avoiding getting married at all, the USA celebrating the leapers festival and aging parents in Taiwan getting pig trotter noodles.Many places around the world give gifts. For example, in Rhineland, Germany, Birch trees are given as gifts. People born on a leap year day, Feb. 29, are even invited to join “The honors society of leap year day babies.”

Leap year was created according to science, to keep us from losing any time in our days and keep us on track with time in the long run, but today, it is often used as a time to celebrate fun traditions.