This Is What Happens If Your Birthday Is In Leap Year

Leap years are years with 366 calendar days instead of the normal 365. Every four years, we add this extra day to the calendar in the form of February 29. But the next thing that comes to mind is, why this twist in the calendar? It’s all about keeping Earth’s clock in sync with the sun. Earth takes a bit more than 365 days to complete its dance around the Sun. So, every four years, we add an extra day, called leap day, to make sure our calendars match the sky.

February 29 can be a curious day, given it’s a relatively rare occurrence. There’s also something of a mystique surrounding the day and unusual traditions. Moreover, as the day comes every four years, it means those born on February 29 miss out on birthdays. Even though “leapers” pick another date to make sure they have an annual birthday, their age is technically younger than most. 

So, here’s what happens to someone born on a leap year

According to The Independent, the result of being born on a leap day can actually be a bit of pain from a logistical point of view as there are some circumstances where people born on this day are actually required to have their birth date to be officially listed on either February 28 or March 1. 

For example, in the United Kingdom, the law states that when a child is born on a leap day, the official birthday is actually on February 28 when it is a non-leap year. It estimates that there are around 5 million people alive who were born on a leap day. So while relatively rare, there are plenty of “leaplings” out there. 

While they will celebrate their birthday every year like the majority of people, their birthday only officially comes around every four years.

Some of the famed or notorious leaplings are Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez, US rap star Ja Rule and serial killer Aileen Wuornos, incarnated by Charlize Theron in her Oscar-winning performance for “Monster”.

Do other planets experience leap years like Earth?

This phenomenon is not unique to Earth but applies to almost every other planet in our solar system. Take Mars, for instance; it has more leap years than regular years. A year on Mars consists of 668 sols or Martian days. However, it takes 668.6 sols for Mars to complete one orbit around the Sun. Therefore, occasionally adding a sol is necessary to synchronize the calendar.