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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

FEBRUARY is a confusing month – it is punctuated with love on Valentine’s Day and then it abruptly ends after 28 days, but after every four years, it is “haunted” by an intercalary day which is created by adding an extra day making the year a leap year.

This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure because the Earth does not orbit the Sun in precisely 365 days.

Adding one extra day to the calendar every four years compensates for a period of 365 days shorter than a tropical year by almost six hours.

This is all good for everyone except people who were born on 29 February. Why?

Because they celebrate their birthdays every four years. The next leap year is in 2024, meaning they last celebrated the day they were born in 2020.

Historically, according to the Children’s Museum, February’s 28 days date back to the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius. Before he became king, Rome’s lunar calendar was just ten months long.

It began in March and ended in December. At the time, Romulus, the first king of Rome, and his people found the time between December and March to be unimportant because it had nothing to do with the Harvest.

When Numa Pompilius took reign, he decided to make the calendar more accurate by lining it with the year’s 12 lunar cycles. The new 365-day year needed two additional months to make up for the lost time. So, he added January and February to the end of the calendar.

Because Romans believed even numbers to be unlucky, each month had an odd number of days, which alternated between 29 and 31. But, in order to reach 365 days, one month had to be an even number. February was eventually chosen to be the unlucky month with 28 days.

Enough with the history lesson. Saturday Leisure caught up with February babies to find out how they celebrate their birthdays.

Gweru-based Locadia Mavhudzi said she makes do with celebrating her birthday on the 28th of February when it’s not a leap year.

“Being born on a leap year is special to me since there are a few of us who were privileged to be born on that extra day, but every year, I thank the Lord for the blessing of life and acknowledge that even if it’s not on the actual date, I’m alive. When it’s a leap year, I celebrate the day to the fullest knowing that the next will be in four years’ time.

“I was born of peasants who thought it was a wise idea to actually register my birth date as the 29th of March as they thought I would struggle with celebrating my birthday on a day that is not regular on the annual calendar,” she said jokingly.

Another leap-year baby only identified as Blondy said celebrating one’s birthday when it’s not a leap year is conflicting.

“We usually celebrate on the 28th but we are supposed to celebrate on the first of March if it’s not a leap year because our birthday is the day after the 28th but we can’t really celebrate on the first of March because we are February babies, that’s why we celebrate on the 28th. I sometimes celebrate for two days, on the 28th of February and the first of March so it’s a bit of a pickle,” she said.

In as much as it may be conflicting and painful to wait for four years to celebrate one’s birthday, leap-year babies may actually take solace in sharing that extra day with notable celebrities including American hip-hop artiste Ja Rule, Spanish professional football player Ferrán Torres, and reality TV show Cheaters host, Joey Greco. – @MbuleloMpofu