Ladies, Take Your Own Leap!

Abbi Minchin | 29th February 2016

f26d972eee6767a4e64b80b648ae1f20Pink, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Britney Spears, Elizabeth Taylor and Jennifer Hudson all bit the bullet and proposed to the men in their life. And our very own Queen Victoria acted like a true woman of power and proposed to Prince Albert. If she hadn’t, our British royals could have been completely different. Would we have had Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and our latest babe Elizabeth II, had she not proposed when she did?

The tradition dates back to 5th century Ireland and ‘St Bridget’s Complaint’. Bridget was vexed by how long women often had to wait to receive a proposal, so she took her problem to St Patrick who decreed that going forward women could propose on the leap year. This then became “Bachelor’s Day”, a tradition which allowed women to initiate dances and propose marriage. If the proposal was refused, the man was expected to buy the woman a silk gown or, by the mid-20th century, a fur coat. In the United Kingdom, the tradition was similar. Women were allowed to propose on a Leap Day, and if refused, the man was obliged to buy her new gloves on Easter Day.

Now, clearly that tradition has disappeared – although many still joke about “proposing to their man” on the 29th February when it comes around every 4 years. Personally, I don’t see the point in waiting – almost as if you will be scorned if you choose 29th November instead. Traditions fade, but female empowerment has not. Take it into your own hands, ladies.

And if he rejects you? Get him to buy you a fur coat instead. It’s a win/win.