Length of the shortest month in a leap year. How did the leap year

Everything that does not fit into the framework of the usual causes conflicting feelings in people - from surprise to anxiety and even fear. This is quite applicable to such a concept as a leap year. To what extent can a person's fate depend on how many days are in a leap year? Is it true that it is in such years that the greatest number of misfortunes happen? This article will try to answer these and other questions.

When was the leap year approved?

This happened in ancient times, during the reign of Gaius Julius Caesar. On January 1, 45 BC, at the direction of the emperor, Alexandrian astronomers developed a calendar, according to which it was equal to 365 days and 6 hours. According to the account, it turned out that in four years these hours poured into one day. Therefore, the creators of the calendar suggested that each cycle add one day to the year, specifically to February, as the shortest month. That's the whole mystery of how many days are in a leap year. But in addition to the Julian, there is also a later, Gregorian calendar, in which time is corrected to minutes and seconds. According to it, it turns out that in a year there are 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds. The Jewish calendar, based on the lunar month, allocates a cycle of 19 years, in which there are as many as seven leap years! According to him, not one day, but a whole month is added to a leap year.

Why is he not loved?

Dislike is an inaccurate expression. Rather, they are afraid. In almost all popular beliefs, the number of days in a leap year is associated with the frequency of occurrence of misfortunes, wars and natural disasters. In Russian folk tradition, for example, an extra day in the year - February 29 - was called Kasyan and all sorts of troubles were expected from him. That is the name of one of the saints, the most unfriendly and envious. Kasyan looked at the field - do not wait for the harvest, looked at the cattle - wait for pestilence, looked at the people - wait for wars and deaths. It must be admitted that modern people also treat this phenomenon with some apprehension. Even speaking of superstitions with irony, they still try not to get married in a leap year, not to have children, not to build a bathhouse, not to change jobs and housing, and so on. Not everyone remembers how many working days are in a year, who was born when, but no one forgets about a leap year. Or maybe there is an explanation for this mass psychosis?

What happened in leap years?

There are a number of really terrible and tragic events that fell precisely on leap years. For example, in 1952, the Americans detonated the first hydrogen bomb. In 1988, the Spitak earthquake occurred in Armenia, which claimed many lives. The next leap year - 1992 - was remembered for the introduction of free prices, terrible inflation, and tension in society. The list can be continued, recalling the numerous tsunamis, earthquakes and disasters of different years and centuries. However, terrible events in history happened no less, if not more, in ordinary years. So, the First and Second World Wars, the atomic attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Chernobyl accident - all this happened in ordinary years and hardly depended on how many days there are in a leap year. And what to do - to believe or not to believe? Everyone decides this for himself. The next leap year is coming in 2016, and by this time you can still play it safe and plan your life in the safest way. Why is Kasyan not joking!

How many days are in a leap year?

Once every four years we observe an interesting calendar phenomenon. Every year it is customary for us to count 365 days, but once every four years we count 366 days. This has been the case historically, since 45 BC, when a Roman dictator named Gaius Julius Caesar created the calendar. Later, such a calendar began to be called the Julian.

The history of the leap year.

Gaius Julius Caesar's new calendar began on January 1, 45 BC. Astronomers of that time calculated the exact number of days during which the Earth completes a cycle called a year. The exact number of days was 365.25. In other words, there were 365 full days and 6 hours in a year. Since it was inconvenient to count incomplete days, we decided to introduce a special one to even out the balance.

For three years in a row, 365 days are counted, and in each subsequent fourth year they are added 24 hours (6 hours in 4 years) in February. Thus, a new day of February appeared, only one, appearing every four years. This month was not chosen by chance. It was he who was considered the last Roman month of the year. 45 BC became the first leap year.

The current year 2016 is a leap year. The next one will be in 2020, then in 2024, and so on.

Signs of a leap year.

Since ancient times, a year in which one day more than in other years was considered significant and even difficult. Some events were associated with it, it was believed that if it was in this year that winter was a day longer, it means that this year affects the human body in a special way.

Leap year, signs which scares a lot of people, is actually not so scary. The human body is not imprisoned for changes in the calendar and numbers. Rather, a person runs the risk of being influenced by the location of the planets, the moon and other external factors that affect the person as a whole.

Among the signs that many people have in this long year, the main ones are the prohibitions on various buildings.

Leap year: what not to do?

Many of us are interested in what cannot be done on a leap year. Among these activities are:

  • carol,
  • make real estate transactions,
  • divorce.

It is not recommended to go far, and if this happens, it is advised to say certain prayers. All this, of course, has nothing to do with religion, so if the soul asks for prayer, it is better to pray without any signs.

Leap year is not terrible.

Such a year can bring a lot of wonderful moments to a person. In leap years, such great figures of art and culture were born as: M. Glinka, I. Strauss, L. Tolstoy, I. Goncharov, as well as modern actors: K. Diaz, K. Khabensky, T. Hanks.

Is 2019 a leap year or not? 2019 will not be a leap year. From year to year, the approach of the new year causes unrest among superstitious people. What will the upcoming 2019 year of the Pig be like, Leap year or non-leap year.

Interest is based on folk signs and superstitions associated with the addition of an additional February 29th. One day, February 29, is added to the calendar every four years. The previous Leap Year was 2016. When is the next Leap Year? The next one will be in 2020, four years from now.

Razgadamus considers it educational. How many days are in a leap year? A leap year (or popularly called Vysokosny) is considered every fourth year. Its duration is 366 days, one more than the duration of a common year, thanks to an additional day - February 29th. In normal, non-leap years, February has 28 days.

What years are leap years: calendar

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Table of past years up to 2000

Table after 2000

How many days in 2019

You can get an answer to the question of how many days there will be in 2019, 365 or 366, by looking. If 2019 is not a leap year, then 2019 will be 365 days long.

2019 Leap year or not, worries superstitious people and is primarily of interest to those people whose birthday falls on February 29th. It turns out that those born in a Leap Year on February 29 have to celebrate their birthday every four years or postpone the celebration to March 1.

The leap year differs from the usual one in duration, it is longer by 1 day. But since ancient times, people have been afraid of the onset of such a four-year period, instilling fear of impending misfortune.

There are folk signs, according to which the arrival of the Leap Year means the onset of an unlucky period of time in the life of every person for four years.

Signs in Leap Year: Do's and Don'ts

Believe in omens or not? February 29 is popularly called Kasyan's Day (or Kasyanov's Day), and it is considered unlucky for the birth of a child.

  • It is not advisable to plan the birth of a baby, but if pregnancy occurs, then the expectant mother will have to refrain from cutting her hair until the very birth.
  • If the child was born on a Leap Year, the baptismal ceremony must be expedited so that the baby receives protection.
  • You can’t start new business, any financial investment in business is doomed to failure.
  • People who believe in omens advise not to sell or buy real estate in Leap Year, not to change their place of residence.
  • According to signs, it is not recommended to have a pet.
  • It is better to postpone the trip until better times.
  • It is a very bad omen to plan a wedding in a Leap Year. The sign says that a marriage entered into in an unfortunate period of time will break up, the family will be haunted by misfortunes, illnesses, betrayal of spouses, evil fate.
  • It is not recommended to change jobs, start making repairs in the house.

Our ancestors adhered to the rule that the unlucky year for marriage immediately follows the Leap Year and the ban on marriage remains for another year. If you believe you will accept, then after 2016 (it was a Leap year), the next 2017 is the year of the widow, the year of the widower is 2018.

2019 is the year of the widow or widower

The years of the widow and the widower are considered the first and second years after the Leap Year, the previous one was 2016. If you believe it, then 2017 is the year of the widow, the year of the widower is 2018, both dates are not suitable for a wedding. And couples who have scheduled a wedding in 2019 will be prosperous and well-being.

Our grandmothers did not get married, they were afraid to get a mystical curse on their family from the Higher powers and remain a widow or be among the dead.

Astrologers consider folk signs to be prejudices and remnants of the past, they recommend not to believe in such forecasts and not to follow them.

Priests advise to follow the call of the heart, create a family, marry in accordance with church canons and set a wedding date for 2019 without a doubt. According to - the year of the Pig - an animal symbolizing peace and harmony.

Widow years (list): 2001; 2005; 2009; 2013; 2017; 2021; 2025; 2029; 2033; 2037; 2041; 2045; 2049; 2053; 2057; 2061; 2065.

Years of the widower (list): 2002; 2006; 2010; 2014; 2018; 2022; 2026; 2030; 2034; 2038; 2042; 2046; 2050; 2054; 2058; 2062; 2066.

Is it possible to get married in 2019 or get married? Can. Signs and superstitions are usually based on popular rumors, but in fact there is no confirmed data or real statistics about the years of a widow or widower.

How to determine Leap year: calculation

  1. Determining a leap year or not is easier if the date of the previous one is known. Leap years repeat every four years.
  2. You can calculate the leap year by knowing how many days in a year - 365 or 366.
  3. A leap year if it is divisible by 4 without a remainder; if it can be divided by 100 without a remainder, it is a common year. But if it is divisible by 400 without a remainder, then it is a leap year.

What to expect from 2019

Due to the fact that 2019 will be a non-leap year and will be held under the leadership of the Yellow Earth Pig, astrologers give a peaceful forecast for all 365 days of 2019. The pig is a symbol of the future of 2019. this patient animal symbolizes well-being, peace, tranquility and wisdom.

The personal life of many single people will change in 2019, loneliness will end and there will be a happy opportunity to find a friend, meet a loved one. A favorable period is coming for the birth of children, the creation of a family union. Persistent and purposeful will accompany.

Astrologers say that there will be a chance to become happy in your personal life, achieve success in work, move up the career ladder, or open your own business.

The pig, as you know, belongs to animals with enviable perseverance, and those who show perseverance, diligence, take responsibility in difficult circumstances, are not afraid of difficulties, will succeed in achieving what they want.

Folk signs for 2019, beliefs and forecasts of various astrologers agree on one thing - the year of the Pig, the beginning, middle, end and all 365 days - a favorable and successful period. No matter how many days there are in 2019, every day you need to strive for the intended goal, think positively, not paying attention to bad omens.

When making plans for the future, even the most skeptical person is in a hurry to find out whether the coming year will be a leap year or not? This topic is especially relevant when important events are planned, because it is believed that the time period in which one extra day is added does not bode well. Looking ahead, let's say that in 2020 there will be exactly 366 days. And this means that, according to popular beliefs, this is not the best time for change.

Why does a leap year have 366 days?

Everyone knows that in ordinary years the number of days is 365 - it is during this time that the Earth revolves around the Sun. In fact, these data are not entirely accurate. Our planet makes a full revolution in 365 days and 6 hours. These surpluses accumulate over the course of three years, and by the fourth year they add up to a separate day. Such a chronology has gone since the reign of Julius Caesar. Initially, an extra day was inserted after February 24th. It turned out that in the last month of winter there were two 24ths. Among the Romans, this day was designated by the word "bissextilis", which in translation into Russian means "leaping". Soon, due to confusion in the days, it was decided to move the extra day to the end of the month. So it appeared on February 29th.

How to know if it's a leap year or not

You can determine how many days in February 2020 and understand whether a year is a leap year yourself if you know that:

  1. A leap year is always an even year. The ordinal number of the year must be divisible by 4 without a remainder. Divide 2020 by 4 to get 505, an integer with no remainder. This means that in February there will be not 28, but 29 days and the year should be considered a leap year.
  2. Today, in most countries, including Russia, there is a more accurate calendar - the Gregorian. According to his rules, the numerical value of those years that end in zeros should be divided by 400. If the result is a number without a remainder, then the year is a leap year. For example, the last leap year was in 2000: 2000:400=5. But 2100 will not be a leap year, since 2100:400=5.25 (a number with a remainder) and there will be only 28 days in February.

A bit of mysticism

Many superstitious people are anxiously waiting for 2020. According to popular beliefs, a period in which there is one extra day brings troubles and misfortunes, and any undertaking will collapse.

From time immemorial, Saint Kasyan, whose birthday fell on February 29, was blamed for all the "mortal sins" that occur in a leap year. However, not everyone recognized him as a saint. In Russian folk beliefs, the image of Kasyan is negative. He was credited with demonic features, called Miserly, Malevolent, Resentful, Envious. And all because during his lifetime this same Kasyan behaved impiously and was objectionable to the Almighty. Kasyan's birthday, namely February 29, was considered the most dangerous, demonic day.

Since the number of days in 2020 is 366 days, at this time it is better to refrain from:

  • marriage;
  • repair;
  • moving;
  • bath construction;
  • opening a business;
  • investments;
  • job change.

Skeptics, in turn, argue that nothing depends on the number of days in a year. The natural appearance of the day on February 29 has a scientific evidence base. Leap year is pure math and nothing else.

What will 2020 be like

There is very little left before the new year 2020. For many, 2020 will be a good year. First of all, this applies to those who finally wait for their birthday - February 29th. Astrologers say that the "leapers" are endowed with special talents. These extraordinary people with out-of-the-box thinking will be more successful than ever in “their year”.

But fate will not only favor them. On January 25, 2020, according to the eastern calendar, the year of the White Metal Rat will come. In the Middle Kingdom, this animal is the God of Happiness, a symbol of material well-being. For people who were born in the year of the Rat, this time will be extremely favorable.

People born under other signs of the Chinese horoscope in 2020 can increase their chances of success by resorting to the lunar calendar. With it, you can choose favorable days for planning important things. There will be many such days in May (from the 1st to the 6th, then on May 13, 14, 20, 27 and 28). May 13 will be one of the most favorable. On this day, you can engage in holding important meetings, organizing celebrations. Some even take the risk of starting a new business project, and, by the way, will not lose.

With the help of such calendars, as well as astrological forecasts, you can determine how many days the grace period will last, and on which days it is better to postpone the decision of important matters.

In the popular and beloved film “The Same Munchausen”, directed by Mark Zakharov, its main character, Baron Munchausen, played by the wonderful artist Oleg Yankovsky, wanted to give humanity one extra day, which was formed from seconds unaccounted for by compilers of calendars over the millennium. Unfortunately, no one was happy with such a gift, which greatly upset Baron Munchausen.

But, it should be noted that the famous visionary was only partly wrong. It is believed that the year consists of exactly 365 days. Well, in fact, our planet makes its full revolution around the Sun in 365 days and another six hours. There are twenty-four of these unrecorded hours in the calendar in four years. And in order to somehow take them into account, we have one additional day every four years, scheduled for February 29th. A year with 366 days is called a leap year.


Quite often, many people believe in various signs and superstitions associated with the approach of a leap year, and wait for it with apprehension. It is believed that in a leap year you can not pick mushrooms, it is undesirable to build a house and get married. Referring to historical examples, they prepare in advance for various hardships and cataclysms. Such superstitious people would do well to visit some website of a psychologist, because you should not tune in to the horror of the fact that a leap year is still not worth it. We must believe that any year can bring us something good and will be prosperous.


But back to the numbers. It would seem that in a century we can have twenty-five leap years. But years that are divisible by one hundred without a remainder, and at the same time are not divisible by four hundred without a remainder, do not contain an extra day, and are not leap years. This means that in four hundred years of additional days they have not one hundred, but only ninety-seven. This can be explained by the fact that our calendar contains a small error. Those unrecorded six hours a year are also an inaccurate sum of unaccounted time. If everything is accurately calculated, then it will be five hours, 49 minutes and 16 seconds. Therefore, unless, of course, the year is divisible by 400 without a remainder, then an extra day is not added to the calendar at the end of the century. The year 2000, for example, was a leap year, because 2000 is divisible by 400 without a remainder, but 2100 will not be a leap year for the reasons indicated above.