Leap February in the lunar calendar does not occur every year. So, how long will a person born in Leap February of 2004 have to wait to celebrate their birthday? Let's learn together with Huayi Network about the traditional customs related to Leap February!

How long will a person born in Leap February of 2004 have to wait to celebrate their birthday?

The time it takes for a person born in Leap February of 2004 to celebrate their birthday depends on which birthday they are celebrating.
If the family is used to celebrating the solar calendar birthday, then even if someone was born in Leap February of 2004, they can celebrate their birthday on the corresponding solar date each year afterwards. If the family is used to celebrating the lunar calendar birthday, since Leap February is an intercalary month of February, in years without a Leap February, they can still celebrate their birthday on the corresponding date of February, which allows them to celebrate once a year. However, if they are particular and insist on celebrating the birthday only during Leap February, they will have to wait until the next occurrence of Leap February, which is in 2023, meaning a gap of 19 years.

What is a leap month? What is its history?

A leap month is a method of inserting an extra month into a calendar. In China, a leap month specifically refers to an additional month added every two to three years in the lunar calendar. To reconcile the conflict between the tropical year and the lunar year, and to prevent the lunar months from becoming out of sync with the seasons, one leap month is inserted every two to three years. The placement of the leap month in the lunar calendar has always been a human-made regulation, and different ancient calendars had varying rules for placing the leap month. Before the Qin Dynasty, some local calendars placed the leap month at the end of the year, called "the 13th month." In the early Han Dynasty, the leap month was placed after September, called "the later September." By the first year of Taichu under Emperor Wu of Han, the leap month was distributed throughout the year. Later, it was stipulated that "a month without a solar term should be considered as the intercalary month of the previous month," a rule that is still in use today. In ancient times, a 19-year cycle with seven leap months was used, but this fixed cycle was abolished in the Tang Dynasty's "Lingde Calendar," and instead, leap months were added when necessary, following the principle of inserting a leap month when required.