What’s a Leap Year?

With winter thawing out as February comes to an end, you might be scratching your head asking, “where did the days go.” They actually are cut short, with 2023 NOT being a leap year, we lose a day. According to the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world has used since 1600, there are actually 365.25 days in the year. That is how long it takes for the earth to fully orbit the sun, completing a year. Unfortunately, we can’t have a 6 hour Monday and get the week started a bit faster, so every four years we add a day. 

This is where the term “leap” year is thought to originate. A good example is how the day of the week your birthday falls on changes by one day every year. On a leap year however, there is an extra day in the calendar year, meaning that the dates “leap over” adding an extra day and moving your birthday two days forward (e.g., August 22 was on Monday in 2022 and in 2023 is on Tuesday, but will be on Thursday in 2024). If you are born on a leap year, the calendar year also, leaps over your birthday. Almost four million people globally are born on a leap year, some celebrate on February 28 and some on March 1. Some smart people decide to celebrate on both days. 

You can easily find out if a year is a leap year by dividing the year by 4 or 400. If the year is divisible by 4, like 2020 and 2024, then you know that it is a leap year. However, if the year is divisible by 400 like 2000, then it is not a leap year. Using this math you can see how the 2020 pandemic was such a long year for everyone… It was a leap year!