HOW will you spend this Thursday? The reason I ask is that I’m endlessly fascinated with the traditions and superstitions to mark February 29.

One of the most famed customs surrounding a leap year is, of course, that women can “turn the tables” and are “allowed” to propose to men on this date (yes, those quote marks are used in deliberate disdain).

Bachelor's Day, also known as “Ladies’ Privilege”, is believed to stem from an Irish tradition based on a legend about Saint Brigid and Saint Patrick.

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In the fifth century, Brigid is said to have gone to Patrick and raised the issue of some women having to wait too long to marry because men were slow to propose.

The story goes that Patrick mooted that women be allowed to propose one day every seven years, but Brigid convinced him to make it every four years instead.

It is a premise that........

© Herald Scotland