Articles About Leap Year (21)
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What Is a Leap Year?
A leap year has 366 days, as opposed to a common year, which has 365. Nearly every four years is a Leap Year, and we add a leap day, an extra day on February 29.
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The Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar that was first adopted in 1582.
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The Chinese Calendar
The Chinese calendar is one of the oldest calendars in modern society. It is a lunisolar calendar.
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Leap Day February 29
When is the next Leap Year? A Leap Year consists of 366 days – not 365 – where February 29 is added as an extra day at the end of February.
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Gregorian Calendar Reform: Why Are Some Dates Missing?
The Gregorian calendar was first introduced in 1582, however, different countries changed from the Julian Calendar at different times. Why were some days skipped?
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The Ethiopian Calendar
The Ethiopian calendar is quite similar to the Julian calendar, which was the predecessor to the Gregorian calendar most countries use today.
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How Accurate Are Calendars?
Our calendar does not accurately reflect the length of a tropical year, the time it takes Earth to complete a full orbit around the Sun. Why is that so and are there other calendars that do a better job?
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What is a Common Year?
A common year is a calendar year with 365 days and only 28 days in February.
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February 30
February 30 actually existed at least twice in the past, according to historical records.
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Leap Day Customs
Learn more about Leap Day traditions, superstitions and folklore.
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Leap Day Birthdays
When do “leaplings” celebrate their birthdays and when can they legally buy alcohol or get a driver's licence?
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A Year Is Never 365 Days
The definition of a tropical year is the time it takes the Earth to complete a full orbit around the Sun. It is approximately 365.242189 days long.
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The Jewish Leap Year
The Jewish leap year has 13 months and occurs 7 times in a 19-year cycle.
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Chinese Leap Month
Instead of adding one leap day on February 29 nearly every four years, the Chinese add a leap month every three years to keep their calendar in line with the Earth's rotation.
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Leap Months and Leap Days in the Hindu Calendar
The Hindu calendar frequently adds or omits months or days to keep its lunar and solar time reckoning in sync. The concept differs from the western leap year.
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The Islamic Leap Year
A leap year in the tabular version of the Islamic Hijri calendar occurs 11 times in a 30-year cycle when one day is added to the last month of the year.
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The Ethiopian Leap Year
A leap year occurs every 4 years in the Ethiopian calendar when one extra day is added at the end of the year.
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Leap Year in Different Calendars
Most western countries use the Gregorian calendar, but some use other calendars. Some calendars even add a leap month instead of a leap day.
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The Persian Leap Year
The Iranian or Persian calendar is one of the most accurate calendar systems ever devised. Find out what makes it so precise.
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The Buddhist Leap Year
Following the metonic cycle, the Buddhist calendar defines some years as leap years with 13 months. Great leap years have another extra day.
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Leap Year in the Bahá'í Calendar
The Bahá'í leap year occurs when five extra days are added between the last two months of the calendar. Leap years usually occur every four years.