Leap Year Proposals
Leap Year day had not recognition in English law; it was leapt over thus ignored. It was considered that this day had no legal status; it was reasonable that traditions also had no importance. Consequently, women who were concerned about being left alone took advantage of this anomaly and proposed to the man they wished to marry.
It was also thought that since the leap year day corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the time taken for the Earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to correct a tradition that was one-sided and unjust.
Valentine’s Day
Once married, remembering Valentine’s Day is a requirement. During the reign of Emperor Claudius, Claudius thought that bachelor soldiers would fight harder so he outlawed marriage. St. Valentinus, a priest, would marry people secretly. Another story says that Valentinus was a Christian who refused to worship pagan gods and was imprisoned. During this time, he made friends with the jailer’s blind daughter and cured her through prayer. When he was executed, on February 14th, he left a note for her signed “your valentine”.
When and What Day…In June on Sunday?
The actual wedding, ceremony was officiated by the priest or civil authority. Old Church tradition and folklore warned against marrying unfavorably, and forbade marriage during Lent and Advent. Marriage was also avoided in the months of May and August. May was suggested to be reserved for the veneration of the Virgin Mary, and August was thought to invite bad luck and sickness. For other months of the year, Sunday marriages were believed to be the luckiest for the wedding couple.
Sunday used to be the most popular wedding day, as it was the one-day most people were free from work. Puritans in the Seventeenth Century put a stop to this; however, believing it was improper to be festive on the Sabbath.
These famous poems would assist the bride on her wedding date choice:
Mondays for health,
Tuesdays for wealth,
Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday for no luck at all.
Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind and true,
When February birds do mate, you wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day,
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you’ll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bred,
Whoever wed in August be, many a changes sure to see.
Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in Bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Waxing the Moon & Rising of the Clock hands.
A superstitious bride would set her wedding during a time when the moon is growing fuller and her ceremony for a time when the hands of the clock are on the rise.