四年一遇的2.29：女生表白求婚的專屬日！
（電影《閏年》的女主角就是打算在2月29日向男朋友求婚的恨嫁女郎）
Custom allows marriage-minded gals to propose to their boyfriends on February 29. Leap Year has been the traditional time that women can propose marriage. 想結婚的姑娘們，可以在2月29號向男朋友求婚啦！閏年已經成了國際女性求愛日的傳統。
February 29th marks the leap year for all those who follow the Roman calendar, and on that day, the tradition since medieval times has allowed women the privilege to propose marriage to their desired patriarchal figure. 根據羅馬曆法，2月29日標誌着四年一遇的閏年的到來。2.29的女性求愛日傳統可以追溯到中世紀時期：女性可以使用專屬特權向心儀已久的男子表白求婚。
It is believed this origin of "The Ladies' Privilege" was started in 5th Century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year. 據說“女士特權”傳統起源自公元五世紀的愛爾蘭。愛爾蘭修女Bridget 向聖徒Patrick抱怨女性要等很久才能等到男子求婚。根據傳說，聖徒Patrick於是給渴望婚姻的女性一個機會，她們可以在閏年2月的29日向男士求婚。
Another school of thought held that a man so entreated either had to accept the proposal or pay the refused woman a substantial forfeit for turning her down, such as a silk gown or £ 100. Indeed, it was widely reported that a Scottish Act of Parliament from the 13th Century had mandated this. The first documentation of this practice dates back to a 1288 decree by Queen Margaret of Scotland, under which men who declined the invitation to wed were fined £100. In another form of the belief, men who said no were not on the hook to buy expensive presents for the disappointed girls or to pay fines, but their refusals attracted ill fortune to themselves. 關於女性表白求婚傳統的另一種說法是，被表白的男士要麼選擇接受求婚，如果拒絕求婚需要向女性支付數量可觀的傷心補償費，一件綢袍或是100英鎊。一種流傳甚廣的說法是蘇格蘭國會法案早在13世紀就通過確定2月29日爲“婦女權利日”的法律，1288年當時的瑪格麗特女王頒佈法令，宣佈在閏年的2月29日，女人可以向男人求婚，並對無拘無束地追逐女性，又拒絕接受警告的男人實行罰款。還有一種觀念是拒絕的男士不用給失望的求婚女孩買禮物或是付罰款，但拒絕求婚可能會給他們帶來厄運。【相關文化習俗】
Sadie Hawkins Day 美國版的女性求婚日：賽迪-霍金斯節
In the United States, some people have referred to the first Saturday in November as Sadie Hawkins Day with women being given the right to run after unmarried men to propose. 美國版的女性表白求婚日在11月的第一個星期六，賽迪-霍金斯節這一天（小編注：系列卡通漫畫《小阿伯那爾》中的虛構節日）。女士可以追在未婚男士後面向他們求婚表白。
Greek Superstition 希臘人的閏年迷信
There is a Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year. 希臘人有一種迷信說法是新人如果在閏年結婚會帶來黴運。在希臘，每五對訂婚的情侶中就要一對會竭力避免在閏年舉行婚禮。
