"According to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Bridget struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every 4 years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how Leap Day balances the calendar."
And as I'm half Irish, you might have thought I would have taken note of this in my younger years.
"In some places, Leap Day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. During the middle ages there were laws governing this tradition."
Now I'm sure most of you know, I will be using this little piece of information in one of my books.
Tell me -- Is there anyone (living, dead, character from a book, movie) you would like to propose to?
Here is my choice. This would be Col. Brandon from Sense & Sensibility.
(Source of quotes http://www.thetimenow.com)
29 comments:
Tough question. I'd have to think about that. :)
That's so interesting about the gloves--I never knew that.
I can't imagine proposing to anyone but TG, but I can't certainly appreciate your choice! :)
Laura -- You can always pick your husband again.
Linda -- I hope that was a typo from fast moving fingers and you meant that you "could" appreciate my choice. lol
No. Nobody, ever. Although I might be tempted to pretend with Sean bean ...
Sarah -- Sean Bean might do it for me as well.
I didn't know leap day was also Bacherlors' Day. I've learned something new!
Alex -- See, I'm good for something.
I proposed to my husband. It was supposed to be a joke. We'll be celebrating our 12th anniversary this year. :)
I didn't know this about Leap Year and Bachelors' Day. Wow, it's not even 7 am and I'm already smarter.
I recently watched a movie about this called "Leap Year" starring Amy Adams. Great premise with totally unlikable characters, so I'd say miss-able. But yes, it does go on this bit of Irish tradition. It looks like Google dressed up its search engine logo for the occasion too, featuring frog versions of Sadie Hawkins from L'il Abner.
Oh, and I'd pick Teddy from Little Women. Especially if he looked like Christian Bale. :-)
Stina -- Ha! Joke's on you! Kidding. That's really sweet. I don't think I ever proposed to anyone in years past. Obviously, if I did, they never accepted.
Laurel -- Thanks for the mini-review. That movie was actually on my to be seen list. Not anymore. And oh yes, Christian Bale as Teddy is totally doable.
This is so interesting. I love the bit about the 12 pairs of gloves. Why 12, I wonder.
As far as who I'd propose to. . . probably my husband. You wrote that this counts, right? ; )
Proposing means you'd have to marry them and I don't think there's anyone other than my husband there that I'd want to marry.
They were talking on the radio this morning about this tradition and supposedly it's good luck for the woman to propose on the leap day.
That is really interesting and very cool. Thanks for sharing :) It could be useful information some time in the future.
Oh, this is so neat! I never knew that history about Leap Day.
Hmm... I'm already married, so I wouldn't actually ever propose to anyone else. But let's just say for fun, if I was single and it wasn't actually really serious... I might go with actor James Denton.
I didn't know any of the history of leap day. We 'leaped' over puddles on the way to school this morning. There was a time when I would have taken the leap with Michael Jackson...but I was eleven and he was still alive.
Cynthia -- Husbands certainly count. I think it's sweet you'd pick him again.
Patti -- Husbands count. And as I've been around the blogs I've heard this is a very big deal in Ireland tonight. Lots of parties.
Then again when isn't there a party in Ireland?
Taryn -- Let's hope in 4 years the opportunity strikes.
Shelley -- James Denton could go in my book.
Johanna -- Sorry to say, I had to laugh. You were eleven? That's way to young to be married.
I already hit my quota! :)
Hi Anne, just dropping by to say thanks for the comments you left on Sarah Pearson's blog today. And then I get a picture of Col. Brandon, so I'm following in the expectation of many more Alan Rickmans :-)
I'd propose to Death aka Joe Black aka Brad Pitt!
Don -- You got the best already.
Annalisa -- Yes, Death as Brad Pitt would be okay.
I love learning facts like Bachelors Day and the glove thing. That will stick in my head forever - and where will I ever use it?
Cool post. I didn't know any of that stuff about leap day. When my husband and I were in high school a million years ago, we had a Sadie Hawkins Day dance, and that's where he and I got "married" for the first time. In case you didn't know, that's a girl-invites-boy dance, and even though I went to the dance with another fella who was a real good friend, somehow or t'other, my hubby and I ended up tying the know there Sadie Hawkins style. I reckon if I was gonna propose to anyone, it'd have to be him. Deja vu all over again.
Carol -- One never knows where one will use trivia such as this.
Susan -- I did know about Sadie Hawkins Day, just never put the two and three together. That's so sweet about you and Hubs. I still can't get over those cars the other day.
And then there is Sadie Hawkins from Li'l Abner fame...another tale about catching a man. Who would I propose to...well sad to say there are a few, but for purposes of answering on your blog I'll say: Matthew Macfadyen who stars with Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice.
I knew about the Irish tradition, but did NOT know about the European history! And it would be PERFECT for a regency romance!
My hubby and I have our own little "will you marry me?" tradition--we say it to each other from time to time. For us, it's the ultimate expression of love. Like, I would marry you again, kind of thing.
But if I weren't married to my hubby and I could marry someone from the big screen, at this moment I'd say Kenneth Brannagh. Ask me tomorrow, and it be someone else. ;)
Liza -- Oh yes. Unfortunately he's just a little too young for me.
Ali -- THAT is the most romantic thing I've ever heard. Incredibly sweet. Lucky you. And hey, Kenneth Brannagh is high up there on my list too.
This is a great legend! I just heard it myself for the first time today at work,so it must be true:)
And a great idea for a story. Right down to the twelve pairs of gloves.
i didn't know any of that about the gloves. i'm a big fan of the proposal on the jumbotron at sports games. it's a big risk:)
yes, I can see this info making a great story concept. You'll make it intriguing :)
.....dhole
Yvonne -- I know, those gloves really make the whole thing work.
Ed -- Yes but do girls propose to boys on the jumbotron? Leap Day adds a whole other dimension.
Donna -- Now to come up with a plot..... Thanks Donna.
Post a Comment