Leap day babies celebrate quadrennial birthdays

2012-03-01 14:57

分享到

 

Leap day babies celebrate quadrennial birthdays

This Wednesday is a very special day for some people around the world. They were born on February 29, Leap Day - the extra day in February that only comes around every four years. Our reporter spoke with some of them about what it's like to be a leap day baby.

Most people usually hear the song every year. But what's it like when your actual birthday is on the calendar only once every four years? Chad Ritchey is turning 32 - he's had eight real birthdays.

"Every four years I get to have one big birthday party. The other birthdays are just like another day," Ritchey said.

Like most Leap Day babies, Peter Brouwer celebrates his other birthdays on February 28. He is the co-founder of "The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies," a website for people born on February 29.

"We've had about 10,000 people sign up. We have a kid's page, a parent's page, teacher's page. We have people from all over the world. We've had people from Canada, the United Kingdom, Malawi, and Malaysia. We also have a lot from India and some from Pakistan," Brouwer said.

The group says about 5 million people celebrate Leap Day birthdays.

Among them is Alberta Stojkovic, who says it's as much fun for her to be a Leap Day baby as it is for people who know her.

"They'll say, 'Oh yeah, you're born on leap year. How old are you this year? Are you five or six?' It's fun for people,” she said.

And just how old will Stojkovic be this year?

"I say, 'Well, it's going to be my 16th birthday. You do the math,'" she said.

Stojkovic says it's unusual to meet other "leapers", as they are known. But it turns out, her small town in Ohio is home to at least two people born on Leap Day. Chad Ritchey manages a local electronics store.

"I've had some fun with it with my kids, and the 13 year old was amazed that, at one point, we were both the same age," Ritchey said.

Ritchey recalls what happened when he tried to buy a beer for the first time. The legal age to buy alcohol in Ohio is 21.

"It was an off year and they let me get it on the 28th," he said.

Peter Brouwer says having a birthday on February 29 can cause other problems.

"My life insurance policy. I have to say that I'm born on March 1st because their computer doesn't accept February 29th. There's also issues with drivers licenses. One year my license expired on February 29th but it wasn't a Leap Year,” Brouwer said.

In the United States, Leap Day babies never forget a Presidential election year because it's always on the year of their birthday. And Alberta Stojkovic says that being 16, instead of 64, has its advantages.

"I believe it may be even possible that having a Leap Year birthday keeps you a little bit younger," Stojkovic said.

And if you know someone whose birthday is on Leap Day, remember to wish them a Happy Birthday...because their next one won't be until 2016.

leap day: 闰日(指2月29日)

Related Stories:

2月29日“女性表白日”今天你求婚了吗?

闰日 leap day

Leap Year《败犬求婚日》精讲之一

February 29 is Leap Day

(来源:VOA 编辑:Rosy)

 

分享到

中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883561联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。

中国日报网双语新闻

扫描左侧二维码

添加Chinadaily_Mobile
你想看的我们这儿都有!

中国日报双语手机报

点击左侧图标查看订阅方式

中国首份双语手机报
学英语看资讯一个都不能少!

关注和订阅

本文相关阅读
人气排行
搜热词
 
 
精华栏目
 

阅读

词汇

视听

翻译

口语

合作

 

关于我们 | 联系方式 | 招聘信息

Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved. None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 版权声明:本网站所刊登的中国日报网英语点津内容,版权属中国日报网所有,未经协议授权,禁止下载使用。 欢迎愿意与本网站合作的单位或个人与我们联系。

电话:8610-84883645

传真:8610-84883500

Email: languagetips@chinadaily.com.cn