This year, 2008, is a leap year1, and this past Friday, February 29, was a leap year day. Although we celebrate many holidays in the U.S., a leap year day is not one of them. Of course the 29th is shown on our calendars2, and as I look at the calendar, it is obvious3 that February is an unusual month this year because there are five Fridays. The month began on a Friday and ended on a Friday. The most recent year in which February had five Fridays was 1980. The next occurrence4 will be in 2036.
What is a leap year? It is a year consisting of 366 days instead of the usual 365. It is necessary because of the Gregorian calendar5, the calendar used by most modern countries. According to the Gregorian calendar, three criteria determine which years will be leap years: (1) Each year that is divisible by four is a leap year. (2) Of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year unless (3) the year is divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.
Why are leap years needed? They are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with6 the earth’s revolutions7 around the sun. Using a calendar with 365 days every year would result in a loss of 0.2422 days, or almost six hours per year. After 100 years, this calendar would be more than 24 days ahead of the season. No calendar is perfect but the Gregorian calendar works fairly well. It was first adopted in Italy, Portugal and Spain in 1582. It wasn’t adopted in the U.S. and Great Britain until 1752.
In the U.S. our big association8 with leap year is the fact that it is the year when we have our presidential elections. Consequently9, we will be voting for our new president in November of this year. Meanwhile we all will be associating leap year with many political speeches etc. People born on the leap year day must decide which day (February 28 or March 1) to celebrate their birthday. Meanwhile, they’ll hear many jokes about their age and how many birthdays they’ve really had. On both Friday and Saturday, a number of people born on February 29 were interviewed on TV news programs. They were asked questions as to their feelings about their birthday, how and when they celebrate, etc. One elderly gentleman said that he loves to tell people that this year he’s celebrating his 20th birthday and then note the looks of surprise that he receives.
There is one special folk tradition10 associated with leap year. This many-centuries-old tradition is that during the year a woman should feel free to propose to the gentleman she would like to marry, usually her boy friend. There have even been special parties on leap day to which women do the inviting. In some places leap day was known as “Bachelors’Day11.” A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on that day.
One small town, Perry12, in our state of Iowa has an amusing tradition associated with leap day. Since the year of 1952 Perry residents have used the day as a time to have fun and to raise money for different charities that are important to the ladies of the community. Women are put in charge of town for the day. Men are arrested13 on a variety of made-up charges14 and assessed fines15 in order to stay out of jail. The fines they pay benefit local charities16, such as nursing homes, the hospital etc. Men were fined as little as $20.00 or as much as $100.00. One man, who was caught dressed as a woman in order not to be “arrested” was fined $100.00 for the offense that he was “too ugly to be a woman. As one can imagine, this tradition is the source of a great deal of fun and camaraderie17 for the Perry residents.
Notes：
1. Leap year – The name given to a year having 366 days instead of 365 (闰年).
2. Calendars: 日历
3. obvious: easy to notice or understand (显然的，明显的).
4. occurrence: the fact of something happening (出现，发生).
5. Gregorian calendar – The name given to the calendar used by most of the western world (格里高利历，公历，阳历). It was introduced during the year 1582 and replaced the Julian calendar. The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Gregory XIII introduced this calendar and had the power to see that it was adopted and used in Europe. The Julian calendar had been introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and patterned after the Roman calendar.
6. in alignment with: 与……一致
7. revolutions: circular movements around something (旋转).
8. association: a relationship with a particular person, organization, group etc. (与……的联系/关系).
9. Consequently: as a result (因此，结果)
10. Folk tradition – commonly held beliefs and/or practices held by the general public over a long period of time (民间传统).
11. Bachelors’ Day：单身汉节
Most people in the western countries have believed that a man remains a bachelor by choice, but that a woman remains unmarried because no man ever proposes to her. “Bachelors’ Day” supposedly gives an unmarried woman a chance to be the one to propose, thus greatly improving her chances to be married.
12. Perry, Iowa – a small town located in central rural Iowa (派瑞，位于爱荷华州中部的一个小镇). It, like many other small towns in the state, has different folk traditions, special days etc. that provide the citizens of the town with entertainment and a sense of solidarity. Perry’s leap day activities have obviously been successful with the townspeople for over fifty years.
13. arrested: taken or kept in custody by authority of the law (被逮捕). In the case of the Perry leap day tradition, the men are jokingly arrested by the women who have taken over the jobs of policemen, judges etc. for the day.
14. made-up charges: not true or real statement saying that someone may be guilty of a crime (捏造的指控)
15. fines: money imposed as punishment for an offense (罚款). The fines paid by the Perry men are used to support local charities that the women want to have supported.
16. local charities: organizations that give money, goods, or help to people who are poor, sick etc. (慈善机构). Most communities in the U.S. have organizations that the citizens contribute to because these organizations benefit the citizens in different ways. Some money is contributed to them directly, while often other ways are found to get people to pay money that will be contributed. Some charities provide health care, while others provide such things as hot meals for the elderly or house-bound people and still others help with such things as after-school activities for the children of the community. There are literally hundreds of charities to be found in each state.
17. camaraderie: a feeling of friendship that a group of people have (同志情谊).
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