Leap Year 2024: Here are FAQs on hows, whats and whys of February 29
A leap year, like 2024, is one with an extra day in the shortest month, February. On a leap year, February will have 29 days. This extra day is supposed to keep us in sync with the seasons. Here is a list of FAQs to help you under the extra day better:
Why is there an extra day?
The leap year was introduced to address the fraction in the solar year, by the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. The calendar was created bearing in mind that it takes around 365.2422 days each year for the Earth to revolve around the sun, the extra snippet (around six hours a year) adds up over time.
Who came up with leap year?
The concept of leap year has evolved over time.
Ancient civilizations used the cosmos to plan their lives, and calendars date back to the Bronze Age. They were based on either the phases of the moon or the sun, as various calendars are today. Usually, they were “lunisolar,” using both.
Then came the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. He introduced his Julian calendar in 46 BCE. It was purely solar and counted a year at 365.25 days, so once every four years an extra day was added. Before that, the Romans counted a year at 355 days, at least for a time.
The Julian calendar was the model used by the Western world for hundreds of years. Enter Pope Gregory XIII, who calibrated further. His Gregorian calendar took effect in the late 16th century. It remains in use today and, clearly, isn’t perfect or there would be no need for leap year. But it was a big improvement, reducing drift to mere seconds.
Why did Pope Gregory XIII step in?
Well, in one word: Easter. It was coming later in the year over time, and he fretted that events related to Easter like the Pentecost might bump up against pagan festivals. The pope wanted Easter to remain in the spring.
He eliminated some extra days accumulated on the Julian calendar and tweaked the rules on leap day. It’s Pope Gregory and his advisers who came up with the really gnarly math on when there should or shouldn’t be a leap year.
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Published: 29 Feb 2024, 09:15 AM IST
A leap year, like 2024, is one with an extra day in the shortest month, February. On a leap year, February will have 29 days. This extra day is supposed to keep us in sync with the seasons. Here is a list of FAQs to help you under the extra day better:
Why is there an extra day?
The leap year was introduced to address the fraction in the solar year, by the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. The calendar was created bearing in mind that it takes around 365.2422 days each year for the Earth to revolve around the sun, the extra snippet (around six hours a year) adds up over time.
Who came up with leap year?
The concept of leap year has evolved over time.
Ancient civilizations used the cosmos to plan their lives, and calendars date back to the Bronze Age. They were based on either the phases of the moon or the sun, as various calendars are today. Usually, they were “lunisolar,” using both.
Then came the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. He introduced his Julian calendar in 46 BCE. It was purely solar and counted a year at 365.25 days, so once every four years an extra day was added. Before that, the Romans counted a year at 355 days, at least for a time.
The Julian calendar was the model used by the Western world for hundreds of years. Enter Pope Gregory XIII, who calibrated further. His Gregorian calendar took effect in the late 16th century. It remains in use today and, clearly, isn’t perfect or there would be no need for leap year. But it was a big improvement, reducing drift to mere seconds.
Why did Pope Gregory XIII step in?
Well, in one word: Easter. It was coming later in the year over time, and he fretted that events related to Easter like the Pentecost might bump up against pagan festivals. The pope wanted Easter to remain in the spring.
He eliminated some extra days accumulated on the Julian calendar and tweaked the rules on leap day. It’s Pope Gregory and his advisers who came up with the really gnarly math on when there should or shouldn’t be a leap year.
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Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Check all the latest action on Budget 2024 here.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
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Published: 29 Feb 2024, 09:15 AM IST
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