2016 is a leap year. This is not such a rare occurrence, because every 4 years in February, 29 days appear. Many superstitions are connected with this year, but is it really dangerous? Let's try to figure it out if leap years differ in something. The list of the 21st century regarding leap years is maintained on the same principle as before.
Leap year: definition
We all know that there are 365 days in a year, but sometimes there are 366. What does it depend on? First of all, it should be noted that we live according to the Gregorian calendar, in it those who contain 365 days are considered normal years, and leap years - which are one day more, respectively 366 days. This is because periodically in February, not 28, but 29 days. This happens once every four years, and this same year is usually called a leap year.
How to determine a leap year
Those years, the numbers of which can be divided by the number 4 without a remainder, are counted among those called leap years. A list of them can be found in this article. Suppose the current year of 2016, if we divide it by 4, it turns out as a result of dividing the number without a remainder. Accordingly, this is a leap year. In a typical year - 52 weeks and 1 day. Each subsequent year is shifted by one day in relation to the days of the week. After a leap year, the shift occurs immediately for 2 days.
The astronomical year is considered from the first day of the vernal equinox to the beginning of the next. This period, exactly, does not count exactly 365 days, which are indicated in the calendar, but a few more.
An exception
The exception is the zero years of the centuries, that is, those at the end of which there are two zeros. But if such a year number can be divided without a remainder by 400, then it is also considered a leap year.
Given that the extra year is not exactly six hours, the missing minutes also affect the calculation of time. It was calculated that for this reason, over 128 years, one extra day will still run in this way. In this regard, it was decided that not every fourth year should be considered a leap year, but to exclude from this rule those years that are multiples of 100, except those that are divided by 400.
Leap Year History
To be more precise, according to the Egyptian solar calendar introduced by Julius Caesar, the year is not exactly 365 days, but 365.25, that is, plus another quarter of the day. The extra quarter of the day in this case is 5 hours 48 minutes and 45 seconds, which rounded up to 6 hours, which make up the fourth part of the day. But to add such a small unit of time every time a year is impractical.
For four years, a quarter of a day turns into a full day, which are added to the year. Thus, February, which has fewer days than regular months, adds an extra day - and only on a leap year is February 29th.
It was decided to adjust the calendar year in accordance with the astronomical one - this was done so that the seasons always come on the same day. Otherwise, the borders would shift over time.
Leap years: a list of years of the past and 21 centuries. Example:
It was decided to adjust the calendar year in accordance with the astronomical one - this was done so that the seasons always come on the same day. Otherwise, the borders would shift over time.
From the Julian calendar, we switched to the Gregorian calendar, which differs from the previous one in that the leap year happens once every four years, and in the Julian one once every three years. The Russian Orthodox Church still lives according to the old style. He is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. Hence the celebration of dates in the old and new style. So, Catholics celebrate Christmas according to the old style - December 25, and in Russia according to the Gregorian calendar - January 7.
Where did the fear of a leap year come from?
The word “leap” comes from the Latin phrase “bis sextus”, which translates as “second sixth”.
Most people associate a leap year with something bad. All these superstitions went back to ancient Rome. In the modern world, days are counted from the beginning of the month, in antiquity it was different. They counted the days that remained until the beginning of next month. Suppose, if we say February 24, then the ancient Romans in this case used the expression "the sixth day before the beginning of March."
When the leap year came, an extra day appeared between the days of February 24 and 25. That is, in a typical year, before March 1, there were 5 days left, and in a leap year it was already 6, therefore the phrase “second sixth” went.
With the onset of March, the post ended, which lasted five days, if you start on February 24, but with the addition of an extra day, the post already continued, respectively, 1 day longer. Therefore, they considered such a year to be bad - hence the superstition about the unluckiness of leap years.
In addition, superstition began from the fact that only in a leap year Kasyanov Day is celebrated, which falls on February 29. This holiday is considered mystical. In this regard, for a long time people have been trying in such years not to do major things, not to marry, not to have children and more. Despite the simplicity of the algorithm for determining a leap year, some may wonder: "What are the leap years?"
Leap Years of the 19th Century: List
1804, 1808, 1812, 1816, 1820, 1824, 1828, 1832, 1836, 1840, 1844, 1848, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892, 1896.
Leap years of the 20th century: their list is as follows:
1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1996
What years are leap years? The list of years of the current century will be built similarly to the previous ones. Let's get acquainted with it. Leap years (list) of the 21st century will be calculated in the same way. That is, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, etc.
Leap Year Signs
This year, according to legend, you can’t change the usual atmosphere. This can be understood as moving to a new place of residence, searching for a new job.
It was believed that marriages concluded this year could not bring happiness, and weddings were not recommended.
You also can’t do anything, start new business. This includes the opening of a business, the construction of a house.
We answer the question about which years are leap years? List of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries:
It is better to postpone long trips and travels.
You can not celebrate the first tooth in a child.
From ancient times, such years were considered dangerous, bearing many deaths, diseases, wars and crop failures. People, especially superstitious ones, fear the coming of such a year, having already prepared in advance for the worst. But are they really dangerous?
Opinion about established superstition
The church does not see anything bad in these years, explaining such a phenomenon as a leap year, just the changes in the calendar that were once made. Based on statistics, such years are no different from ordinary ones. Even if we take the issue of marriage in a leap year, which predicts a short life in marriage, the number of divorce “leap marriage” is no more than among those couples who married in ordinary years.