Though 2025 is not a leap year, the next one—2028—will have an extra day in February. But why do we need Leap Day? The answer lies in the misalignment between our calendar and the Earth’s orbit.
A standard year has 365 days, but Earth actually takes 365.2422 days to complete one trip around the Sun. This tiny difference means that, over time, our seasons would shift out of sync with the calendar. To correct this, Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years in 46 BCE, adding an extra day every four years. Later, the Gregorian calendar (adopted in 1582) refined the system, ensuring that century years (like 1900) must also be divisible by 400 to be leap years.
Leap Day traditions vary worldwide. In some cultures, it’s considered lucky; in others, it’s the only day women were traditionally “allowed” to propose marriage! Whether seen as an anomaly or a necessity, Leap Day reminds us that timekeeping is both an art and a science.
