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Sadie Hawkins Day? No!
SADIE HAWKINS DAY vs LEAP DAY
Sadie Hawkins Day is November 15 - Leap Day is February 29
Sadie Hawkins Day, an American folk event, made its
debut in Al Capp's Li'l Abner strip November 15, 1937.
Leap Year Day is the name of February 29. It was added to the calendar in 46 BC to maintain balance between the calendar and the seasons.
There is no need to change anything, or to merge them together. It would be like merging Christmas and Thanksgiving because they both involve eating a meal together.
Please read the information below from the Lil'Abner website.
Sadie Hawkins Day, an American folk event, made its debut in Al Capp's Li'l Abner strip November 15, 1937.
Sadie Hawkins was "the homeliest gal in the hills" who grew tired of waiting for the fellows to come a courtin'.
Her father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, a prominent resident of Dogpatch, was even more worried about Sadie living at home for the rest of his life, so he decreed the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day, a foot race in which the unmarried gals pursued the town's bachelors, with matrimony the consequence.
By the late 1930's the event had swept the nation and had a life of its own. Life magazine reported over 200 colleges holding Sadie Hawkins Day events in 1939, only two years after its inception. It became a woman empowering rite at high schools and college campuses, long before the modern feminist movement gained prominence.
The basis of Sadie Hawkins Day is that women and girls take the initiative in inviting the man or boy of their choice out on a date, typically to a dance attended by other bachelors and their aggressive dates. When Al Capp created the event, it was not his intention to have the event occur annually on a specific date because it inhibited his freewheeling plotting.
However, due to its enormous popularity and the numerous fan letters Capp received, the event became an annual event in the strip during the month of November, lasting four decades.
Please understand the differences between Leap Day and Sadie Hawkins Day:
Leap Year Day
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The date for Leap Year Day is February 29.
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Leap Year Day has been around since 45 B.C. Forty-Five. B.C.!
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February 29 has always had the name Leap Year Day. From day one of its existence.
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Leap Year Day was added to the calendar to keep the calendar in line with the seasons. It represents balance and harmony between the seasons and our method of time-keeping.
Sadie Hawkins Day
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The date for Sadie Hawkins Day is November 15.
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Sadie Hawkins Day has only been around since 1937 A.D.
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November 15 was just a day on the calendar until someone decided it should be Sadie Hawkins Day.
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Sadie Hawkins Day was added to the calendar because students at college thought it would be fun.
That is all fine and good. It still does not perform the balancing act that February 29 celebrates.
So there you have it. Four significant differences between Leap Year Day and Sadie Hawkins Day.
They each have their reasons for being, and they have their own day on the calendar.
The only similarity between the two is that the woman is allowed to do the asking. Well, that's not a good enough reason for them to merge onto one date. They are separate, individual dates that represent different things with one similarity. Thank you for understanding the difference.
Please email me if you need to and please visit the Al Capp site if you need to.