Australian cricket Sean Abbott celebrates his 31st birthday this week – or does he? Yes, Abbott was born in 1992, just as everyone else who turns 31 this year was. But Abbott was born on February 29. And as we know, Christmas comes but once year, but birthdays for those who came into this world on February 29 do not. They only come once every four years.*
This is lot of those born on the last day of February in leap years. It must be a rather odd feeling, to not have a specific date in most years that you can claim as your own. Birthdays were a big deal in my family growing up. Had any of us been born on February 29, Mum and Dad would no doubt have set aside either February 28 or March 1 in non-leap years for a big celebration.
But would it have been the same? I don’t know. (In fact, none of us six kids were born in leap years. Perhaps Mum and Dad planned it that way to avoid any February 29 dilemmas.)
By chance I know of another cricketer who was born on February 29 – teammate and friend at my own cricket club. We are both bowlers, and he sometimes ribs me in a good-natured way about having taken more hat-tricks than I have. (I’ve taken two, he’s taken three.)
We also of a similar age, so sometimes I’m tempted to retort with, “Yes but I’ve had many more birthdays than you!” But, I’ve never done that, because I’ve never really spoken to him about what it’s like to miss out on a ‘real’ birthday three out of every four years.
I suspect it wouldn’t bother him at all, but perhaps it bothers some, particularly in childhood?
Do you know someone born on February 29? How do they celebrate their birthday in non-leap years?
*It’s actually slightly more complicated than that, but unless you were around in 1900 or will be in 2100, that’s a matter for another time.
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