Ways to Celebrate Leap Day

Do something different and fun on Leap Day this year.

Have you ever wondered what the deal with leap year is? Essentially, a leap year is a year with an extra day, known as Leap Day, inserted to make the calendar year coincide with the astronomical or seasonal year. Needless to say, Leap Day is no ordinary day. This super special day, which occurs on Feb. 29, only comes around once every four years, so it’s only appropriate to celebrate this unique occurrence in style. Instead of treating the day like any other day, why not do something different? Read on to find ways to celebrate this quadrennial holiday.

Take a Leap of Faith
You could take things literally on Leap Day and actually perform a physical leap somewhere (if you’re not afraid of heights, that is.) Sky diving, base jumping and bungee jumping are thrilling and adventurous ways to do something different on Leap Day, but if the idea of jumping out of a plane or off of a cliff fills you with dread rather than excitement, many facilities across the nation offer indoor or “simulated” sky diving opportunities, which take place inside a vertical wind tunnel in which the participant, dressed in a jumpsuit, helmet and goggles, moves into a stream of air reaching upward of 120 miles per hour and is able to fly within the tunnel, offering a safe, controlled way to experience the thrill of sky diving.

Party Like It’s 2000
Throw a fun Leap Day party with quirky, frog-themed decorations and tongue-in-cheek culinary offerings like fried frog legs, grasshopper pie and other fun treats. Try out this recipe for the leap year cocktail, allegedly invented by Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel in London on February 29, 1928:

• Ingredients: cocktail shaker, crushed ice, 2 oz. gin, 1 oz. Grand Marnier, 1 oz. dry vermouth, dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice, chilled cocktail glass, lemon twist
  • Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with crushed ice
  • Add the gin, Grand Marnier, dry vermouth and freshly squeezed lemon juice to the cocktail shaker. Cover and shake gently for 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Strain the cocktail into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish the glass with a lemon twist and serve immediately while still ice cold.

Tripping Out
There’s no better way to spend the extra day in a year than finally taking that trip you’ve been planning for forever. If you can, take some time off work and build Leap Day into an extended vacation. Even if you can’t make it to some exotic location, make plans to visit out of town friends, or just spend the day exploring parts of your state or city that you haven’t seen before.

Roses are Red
Don’t reserve roses just for Valentine’s Day. Treat a loved one (or yourself) to 29 beautiful red roses this Leap Day. Since Valentine’s Day will be over by this point, they’ll be considerably cheaper, and you’ll get bonus points for spontaneity and originality.

Play the Odds
Buy a lottery ticket at your local gas station or convenience store, just for kicks. Who knows, Feb. 29 could be your lucky day!

For Ladies: Pop the Question
Ladies: have you been waiting around too long for an engagement? Well, now’s your chance to tell your beau that if he likes it, he’d better put a ring on it. An ancient tradition originating in the British Isles, Leap Day (also unofficially known as Sadie Hawkins Day) is a day when a woman can propose marriage to her significant other. And although modern-day courtship rules have relaxed a bit since then, it’s still a fun way to celebrate the day.

Get On Your Game
On February 29, 1964, Frank Rugani set a shuttlecock drive record, slamming the birdie 79-feet, 8-1/2 inches in San Jose, CA. To commemorate this small step for man yet giant leap for badminton, spend today trying out weird, wacky sports and altogether unique sports, like disc golf, bog snorkeling, toe wrestling, curling or cheese rolling. You’re guaranteed a good laugh, if not a good workout.

Photo credit: iStockphoto/lisegagne