Every year we have 365 days, but sometimes we get an extra day called leap day. This day only comes once every four years, and that is on February 29. But why is it needed?
Shot day – why does it exist?
To understand why we have leap days, we need to talk about the Gregorian calendar. It is the calendar used in many countries around the world today, including Sweden. It divides the year into 365 days – but there is a small catch.
The year is not really 365 days. It takes approximately 365 and a quarter days for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. This means that if we only had 365 days in the calendar, we would eventually fall “behind” time. To keep the time correct, we add an extra day every four years – Leap Day!
Why is leap day on February 29?
The leap day is a bit like a “bonus day” that helps us sync our calendar with the movement of the sun. But why exactly on February 29? That’s because February is the shortest month of the year, so it feels a little extra special to give it an extra day every four years.