Here’s something I found over on MSN that I thought was pretty interesting:
“There was a time when the holiday was much more commonly celebrated. As recently as the early 1900s, there were concerts and balls held throughout the Leap years. And as a special bonus to women of the time, there was the “right” (sanctioned by Queen Victoria) to propose marriage to a man, or at least ask him to dance. If the man declined to marry, there was at least a consolation prize – he was supposed to provide a silk dress and a kiss on the cheek.”
“This tradition may trace to the 1200s, when a woman had the law backing her intention to propose during a Leap Year in some parts of Europe. She was required, however, to wear a red petticoat that showed beneath her skirts, “to give men the opportunity to run the other way,” says Sharman Robertson, archivist at Hallmark Cards….”
Read the complete article –> HERE
