There many verses in the Bible which speak about people "leaping for joy". I'm not sure if any mention punching the air though. Spoiler alert - the phrase "Jumping Jehosaphat" does not appear in Scripture. Its first appearance was in an 1865 novel called The Headless Horseman [it was written as Jumpin' Geehosofat]
Today is a Leap Day - technically called an intercalation - the day added into the calendar to make the calendar year match up to the solar year. It takes 365¼ days for the earth to travel round the sun. So every fourth year there's an extra day. Why the word "Leap"? Because normally from one year to the next, significant dates [Christmas Day, your birthday] happen on subsequent weekdays. But in a Leap Year things "leap" a day. Last year my birthday was on a Monday, this year it's Wednesday [nb, for Rosie, Gaz, and other Jan/Feb babies, this leap won't happen till 2025]
The odds of being born a leapling are 1 in 1461. I've met a few of these. Including one lady who was celebrating her "21st birthday" but was 84 years old!
Julius Caesar is credited with using the astronomical calculations of the Egyptians to add in this extra day. And St Patrick is alleged to have decreed that this is the one day of the year when women can propose marriage to men.
I shall be celebrating this "extra day" by travelling across the country to Manchester - Steph has booked a surprise birthday trip for Gaz up to the Lake District so we're on Grandparent Duty with the boys. [it's OK, Gaz now knows about it - she told him yesterday]
Thank you everyone for your kind birthday comments yesterday. This evening I hope to be full of joy [possibly not actually leaping] when we're with the family again.
Do you have special plans for leaping about today?
I could listen to The Pirates of Penzance - the plot depends on the hero having been born on 29th February.
ReplyDeleteI must check this out! My G&S knowledge is rather limited
DeleteAh, this was what I was ALSO going to write in my comment but forgot- dear Frederick! It's a chief plot device! Kx
Delete😉
DeleteI have only met one Leapling. There is a children's book series by Patience Agbabi , of which I've read The Infinite and The Time Thief which are about Leaplings who have special powers to travel in time. It was v imaginative with neurodivergent main characters.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing people usually ask me, upon discovering my birthday is, if I was really born on the 29th.
I wonder if Gaz gets that?
Kx
I'll ask him when I get to Manchester!
DeleteOnly if it stops raining and my gardener can prune my shrubs and Wisteria. I only wish I could but I might manage a hop
ReplyDeleteLeaping, hopping and skipping ...all decrease as we age I think!
DeleteNo special plans, but we're looking at a SW cake recipe that uses lemonade or cola instead of fat. I'm ever hopeful to lose weight! Have a super trip away.
ReplyDeleteThat recipe sounds a little strange !
DeleteAnd it's my mom's 27th birthday!
ReplyDeleteWishing you the energy you'll need and lots of joy as you and Bob stay with your grandsons!
Hugs!
Thank you
DeleteHave a lovely 'leap' birthday!
ReplyDelete👍
ReplyDeleteEnjoy time with your grandsons, and for Steph and Gaz to have a probably well deserved break in the Lake District. There's a lady who lives near my daughter who is 84 today but in reality celebrating being 21! Xx
ReplyDelete😊
DeleteI find myself thinking of Peter healing the lame man who got up and went into the Temple, "walking, leaping, and praising God". That must have been something to see!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your time with the little ones and of course seeing Steph and Gaz. Safe travelling!
Thankyou
DeleteHope you have a safe trip to Manchester and a fun time with the family. No doubt the grandsons will leap for joy when they see you. :)
ReplyDeleteWe had a safe journey and it is lovely to be here
DeleteCommenting a day late, but our daughter gave birth yesterday on 29th February. It was a planned C section because of a complex breech so we knew the date in advance (but not the sex which they preferred to wait to find out). A girl: 8lbs. All good.
ReplyDeleteGod bless this little one and her family
ReplyDelete