Welcome to February everyone!
February is a very busy month of important special events.
The one that most of us will remember (or ought to anyway), is Valentine’s Day. This always falls on February 14. It apparently started in the 14th century in Europe. When this tradition of courtly love flourished by the 18th century in England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love to each other by presenting flowers, offering confections and other such thoughtful things.
2020 is a leap year and some societies use the leap year day (February 29) to celebrate an old Irish tradition which granted women permission to propose marriage on that day. As on Sadie Hawkins Day, another “role reversal” day, ladies are also encouraged to invite the man to dance, for example. Of course, that practise can be extended to invitations for dinner and other such activities.
Finally, leap year is when we gain an extra day on February 29 every 4 years. As it turns out, determining when a leap year occurs is a rather complex calculation. For example, every year that is exactly divisible by 4 is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100, but these centurial years are, in fact, leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400. Go figure!
In any case, welcome to February and take every opportunity to celebrate these special occasions.
Al MacDonald
President