Happy Leap Day?

"A hundred years ago, it was common knowledge in America that women were allowed to propose to men during leap years. (Most believed that the reversal held for the entire year, though proposal mania usually peaked in January and February.) The exact origins of the tradition are murky; one myth traces the tradition to an agreement between St. Patrick and St. Bridget in the fifth century, while another purports that Queen Margaret of Scotland instituted a law fining men who said no to a woman who proposed on leap day. Both of these origin stories are highly unlikely; the tradition didn’t enter the cultural lexicon until the 18^th century and didn’t really catch on until the early 20^th century.

"Despite its uncertain roots, the tradition’s social function is easier to parse. According to Dr. Katherine Parkin, a historian at Monmouth University and the author of the article 'Glittering Mockery: Twentieth-Century Leap Year Marriage Proposals' (recently published in the Journal of Family History), the leap-year-proposal rule felt like a way for women to exert a little power over their romantic fate, since their social freedoms in the early 20^th century were otherwise not ideal."

In Slate, L.V. Anderson presents a slideshow of postcards depicting women proposing marriage to men.