Are you still waiting for your man to get down on one knee and pop the question?? Come on ladies, it's a Leap Year, time to take matters into your own hands!!
February 29th only shows up once every four years and so it has become a tradition that women can propose on this magical day! But where did this tradition come from?
It is believed to be an old Irish tradition, dating back to the 5th Century. St Brigid of Kildaire complained to St Patrick that women had to wait too long for men to propose (some things never change!) and so he decreed that women could propose on this one day in February in a Leap Year! This tradition was then taken to Scotland by Irish Monks and a law was passed in 1288 that allowed a woman to propose to the man of her dreams on the 29th February. This law also stated that if the man declined, he would have to pay a fine- this could be anything from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves! In some upper class European societies, if you rejected a woman's proposal, TWELVE pairs of gloves was the fine....so the woman would be able to hide the shame of not wearing an engagement ring!
There was a time when the 29th of February was not recognised as a "legal" day in English Law and so people believed that traditions also had no status on this day. This made it possible for women to propose, altering the unfair custom that meant only men could propose.
So ladies.....are any of you planning to pop the question to your man this Leap Year? If you're looking for a ring to propose with then drop me an email to discuss what you would like!
Here are a couple of rings I have made to give you some ideas....
