Leap Day: February 29, 2020
Leap Day: February 29, 2020
A Leap Day, February 29, is added to the calendar during leap years. This extra day, also called Leap Year Day, makes the year 366 days long – not 365 days, like a common year.
Role reversal on leap day.
©iStockphoto.com/AntonioGuillem
When Is the Next Leap Day?
The next leap day is Saturday, February 29, 2020.
The last Leap Day was on Monday, February 29, 2016.
Why Add a Leap Day?
Leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the Sun.
It takes the Earth approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. This is called a tropical year.
Without an extra, or intercalary, day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, a calendar without leap years would be off by approximately 24 days in relation to fixed seasonal days such as the vernal equinox or the winter solstice.
Is There a Perfect Calendar?
Caesar Introduced Leap Years
Roman general Julius Caesar implemented the first leap day in his Julian Calendar, which he introduced in 45 BCE. A leap day was added every four years. At the time, leap day was February 24, and February was the last month of the year.
Too Many Leap Years
However, adding a leap day every four years was too often and eventually, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar, which we still use today, has a more precise formula for calculation of leap years, also known as bissextile years.
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Traditions & Folklore
Leap day as a concept has existed for more than 2000 years and it is still associated with age-old customs, folklore, and superstition. One of the most well-known traditions is that women propose to their boyfriends, instead of the other way around.
Leap Months
The ancient Roman Calendar added an extra month every few years to maintain the correct seasonal changes, similar to the Chinese leap month.
Leap Days 2020 – 2032
| Year | February 29 – Day of the Week |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Saturday |
| 2024 | Thursday |
| 2028 | Tuesday |
| 2032 | Sunday |
Leap Day Library
- Leap Day is February 29
- Customs & Traditions
- Common Year vs. Leap Year
- Born on February 29
- February 30 Was a Real Date
Alternative Leap Years
- Bahá'í Calendar Leap Year
- Chinese Calendar Leap Year
- Ethiopian Calendar Leap Year
- Hindu Calendar Leap Year
- Persian Calendar Leap Year
- Islamic Calendar Leap Year
- Jewish Calendar Leap Year
- Buddhist Calendar Leap Year
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February 30
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What Is a Leap Year?
A leap year has 366 days, as opposed to a common year, which has 365. Nearly every four years is a Leap Year, and we add a leap day, an extra day on February 29. more
The Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar that was first adopted in 1582. more
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