Leap year babies, those born on February 29, consider themselves special
Sneha Priya
Leap year babies, those born on the rarest of dates, February 29, consider themselves special. And why not? They get to celebrate their birthday once every four years, which implies that even if they are 40, they are often teased to be just 10. We speak to a few Hyderabadis born on February 29 about how they celebrate the “special” birthday.
Sneha Priya, a working professional, celebrates it twice every year, except for leap years when the count is thrice. “People wish me on both February 28 and March 1. But when there is a February 29 in the calendar year, it is like a festival at home. People wish me on February 28, February 29 and also on March 1, making me feel extra special,” she says adding, “My last birthday was in 2012, and I will have my next birthday only next year. It reminds me that I have just grown after four years, so I am only six years old now.”
Jimmy Kumar, a software engineer, is often teased by his friends that he is just eight, and hence cannot watch movies meant for above-18 audiences or do things that kids are not supposed to. “Some of my friends wish me on February 28 and some one March 1, so I celebrate on both the days. They joke about how I am just eight years old now and still a kid. But if it is a leap year my family celebrates on a grand scale.”
Misbah Uddin, however, sticks to celebrating his birthday only on the actual date. “I wait for four years to celebrate my birthday. So there are no celebrations and nobody wishes me until it’s a leap year,” he says.
Five interesting leap-year facts:
1. The odds of being born on February 29 is 1 in 1500.
2. Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania, was born and passed away on February 29.
3. Though adding an extra day every four years is seen as the best solution, it is inaccurate to calculate an additional six hours for each year.
4. In China, the legal birthday of a leapling is February 28 in common years and in Hong Kong it is on March 1.
5. In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky.
( Source : dc )
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