Why is the extra day of a leap year on 29th February?

[pramplin]

I know February only has 28 days so it's kind of logical to stick the extra day there, but wouldn't be nicer to have the extra day of a leap year somewhere in the Summer (say, the end of July or August) instead of at the end of a cold, bleak February?
Forgetting the fact that February has less days than any other month, is there another - more logical - reason for the leap year day being on February 29th?

[VHG]

I dont understand why it would be better to have it in July or August, after all it is not like it is a bank holiday and we all get the day off.

When does it matter when it is, it is just another "day".

It just means one year in four gets an extra day, if it was in July we would not get an extra day of sunshine, we would still get the same number.

[RATTER15]

"The Gregorian calendar repeats itself every 400 years, which is exactly 20,871 weeks including 97 leap days. Over this period, February 29 falls 13 times on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday; 14 times on a Friday or Saturday; and 15 times on a Monday or Wednesday.

The concepts of the leap year and leap day are distinct from the leap second, which results from changes in the Earth's rotational speed.
Adding a leap day (after 23 February) shifts the commemorations in 1962 Roman Missal.

The leap day was introduced as part of the Julian reform. The day following the Terminalia (February 23) was doubled, forming the "bis sextum"—literally 'double sixth', since February 24 was 'the sixth day before the Kalends of March' using Roman inclusive counting (March 1 was the 'first day'). Although exceptions exist, the first day of the bis sextum (February 24) was usually regarded as the intercalated or "bissextile" day since the third century.[1] February 29 came to be regarded as the leap day when the Roman system of numbering days was replaced by sequential numbering in the late Middle Ages."

Wikipedia.

[factor-fiction]

I don't think your point is valid.The weather happens- it doesn't look at the calendar first.
You could turn the argument round and say it's a good thing because by adding the day on in February it makes March start later so the weather is slightly better on average (one day warmer every day) in March, April, May

[factor-fiction]

The only thing I don't like about leap years is that if we are on monthly pay we work an extra day for no extra money

[argorstran]

I agree pramplin . Why not have a July 32nd every 4 yrs. and make it a public holiday instead of Feb 29th. ? It would cause minimum disruption because it's in the peak holiday period and monthly paid workers wouldn't be working an extra day .

[annadomino]

And anyway, the rhyme wouldn't work would it?
30 days hath September, April, June and November, 28 days hath February,
all the rest have 31, apart from July alone which hath 32 days every leap year.
No, doesn't have the same ring at all.

[factor-fiction]

Just to build on your idea, pramplin, why not abolish February altogether and make July 59 days long (60 in leap years) so we get a much longer summer.

Of course there's the rest of the world to consider, and in Australia for example, February is summer isn't it

[Oleanda]

I don't understand why February only has 28 days anyway. We have 7 months with 31 days, 4 months with 30, and 1 with 28, why not distribute them more evenly, have 5 months with 31 days, and 7 with 30? Then in leap years, 6 with 31 and 6 with 30?

[Amus1]

but if you abolish feb 29th now, what happens to the people actually born on the 29th! lol.
Oh and if we made the extra day in july it just means the days would change the weather will still happen!
The world circles the sun, right, in 365 days and 6 hours (so i'm told) so really that's 6 hours a year more than our calendar year. So if we didn't add the extra day the seasons would change eventually!

[Jonathan-Joe]

Why not have the Leap Day between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Then Santa would have an extra 24 hours to deliver presents.

[TheOtherHalf]

You cant abolish it Amus1, its my birthday and I only get 1 every 4 years.!!
Johnathan Joe, lol about santa having more time to deliver presents. Thats a great idea though.
I wonder how many female proposals there will be this year and why it a sort of tradition that this can be done on a leap year ?