Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today is Leap Day, February 29, a day that only happens once every four years. That is why I have decided to do a post focusing on some of the folklore of the day and how to use this day as a powerful portal time, to access the unique energy that only happens once every four years!
The nature of Leap Day is very intriguing, with individuals born on Leap Day only having a traditional birthday once every four years. This leads to these people being viewed as special, having an Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies. Even The Guinness World Record has Leap Day World Record Holders for a family producing three consecutive generations born on February 29! I find that very interesting, even though I do not have any people in my life born on Leap Day.
Now, as for folklore and Leap Day, I want to talk about one of the most famous traditions surrounding Leap Day. That is the tradition of Leap Day Proposals in Ireland. The entire film Leap Year is based around this old Irish custom of women being able to propose to men, instead of the other way around, one day every four years. Interestingly, this tradition’s folkloric origins incorporate both St. Brigid (originally the Goddess Brigid) and St. Patrick, whose Irish National holidays happen in the weeks surrounding Leap Day. St. Brigid’s Day is February 1 and St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, meaning that Leap Day falls almost directly in between the two days! The actual folk tale describing why women propose on Leap Day is that St. Brigid made a bargain with St. Patrick stating that one day every four years women would be able to propose to men, instead of waiting for their lover to propose to them. I love the idea of bucking an ancient paradigm, and that this tradition was formed so long ago, making it quite unique in its own time! While I personally did not propose to my husband, as he popped the question on Valentine’s Day 2020, just a couple weeks before a Leap Day actually, I do love the idea of women in committed relationships taking up this really romantic tradition. After all, anyone can propose to their lover, and why not Take the Leap on Leap Day, if you happen to want to get engaged on a Leap Year?
Going hand in hand with the romantic side of Leap Day, I want to say that magickally and spiritually speaking, I think that Leap Day is the perfect time to bring in love, fertility, and abundance workings. Whether that means doing a candle spell to invite in new beginnings, a sex magick ritual to increase fertility, or a self-love spell, all are great for setting the tone for the next four years! As a warning, I do want to mention that any love magick should always be done with consent if it involves a specific partner, otherwise, I recommend doing a working to invite in a new lover (without focusing on a specific person) or working with self-love (which is always a powerful confidence boost).
I hope you have enjoyed reading the short post about my favorite Leap Day tradition and folklore, as well as some of my recommendations for making this Leap Day special. What do you like to do for Leap Day? Are you a Leap Day Baby? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
~HAPPY LEAP DAY TO ALL!~
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading/Watching
- https://www.timeanddate.com/date/leap-day-february-29.html
- Love Magic: A Handbook of Spells, Charms, and Potions by Anastasia Greywolf
- Leap Year (2010)
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