Leap February is so rare, what are the customs?

I often hear the older generation say, "A leap in February comes once in ten years". What does this mean? In fact, this is easy to understand, which means that leap February is quite rare. We can simply look at the calendar. The last leap in February was in 2004, and this year is in 2023, which means the difference between them is 19 years. We are expecting a leap February, but we have to wait until 2042, and the difference is 19, which is close to 2042. In this special year, people will also form different folk customs, and some places are very particular during leap February. What are the folk customs and exquisite? Here are eight different folk customs ~

Folklore 1: Give parents a leap moon gift.

In some places, it is a custom to give parents leap month gifts in the leap month to thank their parents for their upbringing and hope that their parents will be safe and healthy. The most common gift is shoes. People think that "shoes" and "evil" are homophonic. Giving shoes to parents means that parents will step on evil spirits and increase their happiness and longevity. In addition, some places will also send pig's trotters and noodles. In fact, no matter what you send, I hope everyone can care more about their parents in their daily lives.

Folklore 2: Stay in February.

Because leap years are one month longer than normal years, the New Year in China will be longer. There is an old saying: "As the days go on, people will live longer and longer, but it is hard to meet a leap in February in ten years", just to tell us that people will be older than before, and people want to keep the pace of the years and keep themselves young forever. The way to keep the years is to wear leap moon shoes or eat longevity noodles. I hope time can be slower and I don't want to get old so quickly. This is the way to keep the years. Nobody wants to get old and accomplish nothing. They all hope that time can be slower so that they can do what they like and grow up with their children.

Folk custom 3: Leave Niangniang cake in February.

Leap February is also called "Mother's Stay Year". As the saying goes, "In the year of leap month, stay in the year of mother", married daughters should go back to their parents' home at this time and bring some delicious food. Among them, they will definitely bring some cakes, also called leap moon cakes, to express their filial piety to their parents and hope that they can be healthy. Niangniang cake is a kind of flower cake. When making, it is very particular. After entering the leap month, make a flower cake and write the words "longevity" or "blessing" on it and give it to mother and father. I also pray that they will be safe and healthy and stay with them forever, so in February, the business of some pastry shops will be very hot.

Folklore 4: Bad luck in February.

In leap February, there is another saying that it is bad luck. The old man thinks that this year is longer than previous years, so bad luck is more likely to appear. Therefore, at this time, if bad luck is eliminated, it will be good luck. Bad luck usually means eating eggs. When families eat together, they cook a pot of eggs to eat with their families. I hope bad luck will get rid of them, so as to usher in good luck and make a good start for spring. Besides, the egg also means round and round, and it also symbolizes the golden ingot, so in this special month, I will eat some eggs to get rid of my bad luck.

Folk custom 5: Women should drink Runyue tea.

As we all know, in the old society, men were superior to women, and most women seldom went out. Therefore, only during the leap month can women in the village go out. At this time, they will hold a tea party and invite nearby women to have tea and chat. Men are not allowed to attend. Holding a tea party is also a way for women to increase their feelings. Everyone replaces wine with tea and sends blessings to each other, which makes them feel happy.

Folklore 6: Go back to your mother's house for a leap moon meal.

In the previous feudal thought, they thought that as long as a daughter married into a man's door and wanted to go back to her family in the future, she had to get the man's consent. As a result, it is almost impossible for many married girls to go back to their parents' home. Therefore, every leap month, the bride's family can invite married girls back to her family for a reunion dinner, also known as "leap month meal". However, there is not so much pressure now. If you want to go back to your family, you can always go back.

Folklore 7: The maiden gives an umbrella to her daughter.

In some places, during the leap month, there is a custom that the bride's family gives umbrellas to her daughter, which means that the bride's family will always be her daughter's umbrella. At the same time, I wish her daughter an early opening of branches and leaves for her husband's family and an early birth.

Folk custom 8: It is not recommended to do great things.

For leap month, the older generation always thinks it is not a good day. As we mentioned in the previous article, the appearance of leap month coordinates the contradiction between the two dating methods. Therefore, they think that leap month is nothing, and it is not suitable for doing some important things, such as breaking ground to build houses, moving, getting married and so on. However, this statement has no basis. It's just that the older generation wants their families to be all right and happy.

Summary:

February leap is really rare, and it takes 19 years to meet once. However, these folk customs formed by people have no basis for this statement, but the older generation wants their family life to be smooth and happy.