Today is a day that we only see once every four years: February 29, or leap day. Some Brabanders can finally celebrate their birthday again on Thursday, others make special plans for this day. Laura and Harrie from Boxtel say yes to each other and 60-year-old Nicole can blow out 15 candles today. “This date is extra special.”
Although few people get married in February, Leap Day is a popular wedding date. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), on average twice as many couples get married on February 29 than on a ‘normal’ day in February.
Laura Schuurman from Eindhoven and Harrie Tholen from Boxtel understand why. They will tie the knot this Leap Thursday. A special date for a special day. “We were already looking at a wedding date for this time of year. We thought this date was extra special,” says Harrie.
This does mean that the couple will not have been officially married for a year until four years from now, on February 29, 2028. But they don’t care about that. “Now I can only forget my wedding date once every four years,” jokes Harrie. “No, of course we will celebrate it every year. We will do that on the 28th or on March 1.”
“Even now I sometimes forget my wedding day.”
Karin Brouwers from Berkel-Enschot also chose this day for her wedding, sixteen years ago. On Thursday she was officially married to her husband Johan for four years. “I must honestly say that I like the fact that I only have to remember my wedding day once every four years, but even now I still forget it sometimes,” she says laughing.
The couple wanted to get married on a crazy day. They are also a bit crazy themselves, Karin thinks. “We always say that we do things differently than others. Our wedding date had to be something special. At first we looked at Friday the thirteenth, but that was in June and we wanted to get married in the winter. That’s why it became a leap day,” says Karin.
“Having a birthday every year is just boring.”
Even if you were born on leap day, you can only really celebrate this once every four years. In total, more than eleven thousand people in the Netherlands have a birthday on February 29. Nicole Reijntjes from Asten is one of them. She can blow out fifteen candles on Thursday. “Now it really is my day,” she says.
Nicole is actually sixty years old, but she hasn’t had that many birthdays yet. “When people ask how old I am, I sometimes say that I am fourteen years old. Then you see them look crazy,” she says, laughing. Does she think it’s a shame that she only gets older once every four years? “It’s actually really fun. Having a birthday every year is just boring.”
For 72-year-old Arlette Henkes from Goirle, this is the day she finally officially becomes an adult. “She keeps saying: now I can finally start drinking,” says her daughter Caroline. Even though she already has five grandchildren, Arlette still feels very young. How will she celebrate her eighteenth birthday? “We are going to the Efteling with the whole family in June. But today she is going out for dinner with her husband.”
