There are many different signs and beliefs among the people that can leave an imprint on even the most important areas of a person's life. Especially a lot of superstition concerns the leap year. This time is given a certain magic and mystery.
There is an opinion among the people that it is impossible to enter into marriage in a leap year. Many consider this time to be unsuccessful for accomplishing important life matters. Before explaining the point of view of the Orthodox Church on this issue, you must first understand the very concept of a "leap year".
A "leap year" occurs every four years when one day is added to February. It turns out that there are 28 days in this winter month. The term "leap" itself is a distorted Latin phrase formed from bis (twice) and sextilis (sixth). For the first time the concept of "leap year" was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 AD. The Emperor ordered to add an additional sixth day after March 6th. Later, the practice began to add an extra day to February (according to the Julian calendar).
It turns out that the "leap year" is just calendar historical changes that do not carry any magic. That is why Orthodoxy does not see anything bad or harmful for a person in getting married in a leap year. Marriage is an act of will of two people striving for love and unity, not only bodily and mental, but also spiritual. An extra day cannot influence the development of love in the hearts and minds of two people. Therefore, to beware of getting married in a leap year means falling into superstition, attributing something negative, mysterious to the usual calendar change. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, it is completely wrong to call the year following a leap year, "widowed" or "widowed." All this belongs to the area of unbelief or lack of faith. Therefore, Christians have absolutely no need to be afraid to marry in a leap year.
