issue 19// vol 46 life & style // no. 13 This decade offers one more day! >» Here’s how you can spend your leap day Craig Allan Staff Writer his month comes with one of the rarest events that will happen. Occurring only three times this decade is a day where we look at our calendars and proclaim: “hmm, something looks different.” That’s because this year is the Leap Year, where one extra day is added onto February. Seeing as this only happens every four years, it should be something to celebrate! But, how does one celebrate Leap Day? What are the traditions? Is it a free day? Is it a send-off to The Purge... where all crime is legal for the whole day? Have no fear, as nothing like that is happening on this day (at least that | know of). There are better ways to celebrate the extra day we have on this earth. This article will give you some ideas on how to celebrate your Leap Day right. Propose to your fella Have that boyfriend—the one who just won't put a ring on it? Well girlfriend, Leap Day is your day. As custom with Irish traditions, on February 29 the rules can be reversed, and a woman can propose marriage to a man. It is known as Bachelor’s Day. For those of you who are not ina relationship, this may be a good time to start, as for the women this is also the day where you can ask a man to dance with you. If the man refuses, then he must make up for his denial with a gift of a silk robe, or a pair of gloves. So, ladies, get ready to propose—even if he says no, you still get a nice pair of gloves out of it. Doom and Gloom For many cultures, Leap Day and the whole Leap Year are a cause for concern. Many cultures view the year as bad luck. For example, there will likely be fewer marriages in Greece this year because Leap Years are viewed in Greek culture as bad luck for a new marriage. In Scotland, farmers would worry about their sheep during Leap Years as they are seen as bad years for the herd. The saying “leap year was never a good sheep year” was spawned due to this idea. In Taiwan, the year is considered unlucky because of a superstition that parents are more likely to die in these years. With so many antiquated traditions associated with the Leap Year, maybe it’s time for some new traditions. Maybe Leap Day should be a day of celebration. A celebration that we get one more day to fix a problem. Or, we could make it a day to forgive someone who has brought us problems? We could also use it as a day to reflect on our last four years and set it as a mark to review out lives and better them for the next Leap Year. Whatever you do, don’t watch the movie Leap Year, as that movie may be the worst thing to be influenced by for the day. Drink Up on this Cocktail If a pair of gloves from your non- reciprocated lover doesn't dull a rejected proposal, maybe consider a drink inspired by the day. The Leap Day cocktail consists of 2/3 gin, 1/6 orange liqueur, 1/6 sweet vermouth, and a bit of lemon juice. It was created by bartender Harry Craddock at the famous Savoy Hotel in London in 1928 for the celebration of Leap Day. What WHAT'S HAPPEN » February 25 to March 1 better tradition is there than an excuse to drink! Travel to the Leap Year Capital of the World If you are an avid traveller, then you may want to experience the event that only happens every four years. In the town of Anthony—on the New Mexico- Texas border—Leap Day is celebrated so passionately that Anthony has earned the title of Leap Year Capital of the World. It started in 1988 when Mary Ann Brown and Birdie Lewis went to the town’s Chamber of Commerce with a proposal to celebrate Leap Day. The two shared a birthday on the unique and rare day so they figured they should make the day a giant birthday bash. The city agreed, and now it is a four-day- long party celebrated with music and the love of one extra day. They additionally made a Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club. So, if you were born on Leap Day— especially if you were born on Leap Day and are named Anthony—this location is the vacation destination for you. Morgan Hannah Life & Style Editor eare flying through the year and that chilly, frosty weather has almost packed its bags and hopped on over to Calgary for a long visit. In the meantime, here’s some activities and events to get your blood pumping and keep you warm this end of winter and early spring! Nineteenth Annual Talking Stick Festival * Date: Until February 29 Location: Various locations in Vancouver * Time: Various times based on locations * Price: Depending on show free, $15 to $30 per show, exclusive tickets $250 Talking Stick Festival is a lively celebration of Indigenous arts. Come see dances, music, powwow, films, and visual arts at this festival that is on its nineteenth year of celebration! According to the Talking Stick Fest website, “this year’s theme is honamstomxw to sya8” (pronounced huh-num-stoh teh see-yahl), which translates to ‘Using Tradition. ” The Confucius Institute: Cultural Exchange or Political Propaganda? + Date: February 26 + Location: The University of British Columbia, Earth Sciences Building, Room 2012 * Time: Doors at 5:30 pm, Show at 6 to 8 pm * Price: $10 per ticket online or at the door In the Name of Confucius is a 52-minute documentary film that, according to the UBC Students for Freedom of Expression Facebook event page is “exposing the growing global controversies surrounding the Chinese government's multi-billion-dollar Confucius Institute (CI), a Chinese language program attaching to over 1600 foreign universities and schools around the world.’ Come meet the documentary maker, Doris Lu an immigrant from mainland China, in a panel and ask her questions about this mind-expanding film. “Critical questions are encouraged.” Clive Ansley, retired prof of Chinese History and Chinese Law with 36 years of experience, and Josephine Chiu-Duke, History prof and specialist, will also be on the panel. OK Tinder—Swipe Right Comedy * Date: February 27 + Location: The Improv Centre on Granville Island, 1502 Duranleau St, Vancouver * Time: 9:15 pm to 10:15 pm * Price: $10.75 to $15.75 per ticket Miserable trying to date in Vancouver's rough dating-scene terrain? Forget all the nature hike dates and awkward dinners, this improv show is sure to be the best Tinder-related experience you'll ever have. This is the last showing of this improv show, so be sure not to miss it! Festival of Light and Lantern Parade * Date: February 28 * Location: Haney Place Mall, 1900 Haney Pl, Maple Ridge * Time: Doors 4 to 8 pm * Price: Free! Bit of a drive out, but if you've ever watched the Disney movie Tangled, then you know the view of the lanterns flying in the sky will be worth it. So, make some carpool arrangements to come out to this family-oriented event and make a lantern! The website boasts that you can “watch amazing local cultural entertainment, listen to hometown poets, and join the Vancouver Lion Dancers for a parade with your lantern through Haney Place Mall!” Hidden Wonders: A Speakeasy Magic Experience * Date: March1 * Location: 434 Columbia St, Vancouver (right beside Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden) * Time: 7 pm to 8:15 pm * Price: $35 to $60 per ticket Shawn Farquhar’s show will astound, amuse, and astonish! Come out to Vancouver to see the man that has duped audiences and judges alike on Penn & Teller’s Foo! Us! This guy has skills you literally can’t understand and probably will never understand—but that’s the magic of it!