Powerful Manhood

 

Welcome to Leap Year 2024.

Gals get ready. It's your turn. You are allowed to ask that special someone for their hand in marriage.

What is a leap year? To be a leap year, the year number must be divisible by four - except for the end -of-the century years, which must be divisible by 400. This means that the year 2000 was a leap year, although 1900 was not. 2024, 2028, 2032 and 2036 are all leap years. More importantly, it is a year when women are okay'd to propose to men, in theory.

According to new research published by Up at The O2, 11 million Brits say it’s time to abolish the antiquated tradition of men proposing to women. Commissioned ahead of Leap Day (February 29th) - a calendar date that comes round just once every four years - the data shows that nearly one in five women in committed relationships have thought about taking the lead and proposing to their male partners this year. That is in Britain, not everywhere in the world.

Women in Finland are advised to propose only on leap year day, -- Feb. 29 -- for good luck. If her boyfriend should refuse, he is required to pay her a "fine": enough fabric to make a skirt.

In Scotland, an unmarried Queen Margaret allegedly enacted a law in 1288 allowing women to propose on leap-year day. But there was a catch: The proposer had to wear a red petticoat (a skirt under her skirt) to warn her intended that she planned to pop the question. Maybe so he could run!!! Perhaps the most well-known of the leap-year marriage superstitions belongs to Ireland, where, again, women are advised to propose only on Feb. 29 for good luck. 

In America, ever since the feminist revolution of the '70s, cracks have been appearing in that monolith (of men only proposing), and the 2020s may be the decade in which that outdated supposition finally falls. Women proposing to their male partners is nothing new, but still rare. Recent surveys show that in straight married couples, only 5 percent of women proposed. But attitudes are changing, and pretty soon, women may claim equal access to the uniquely heart-fluttering, mouth-drying experience also known as popping the question. A full 70 percent of men would welcome their female partner proposing marriage, a 2015 survey by Glamour found. 

But hold on, There's more to this Leap Year saga. Many believe it is unlucky to get married on a Leap Year or tie the knot on a Leap Day! The Greeks and Italians believe that marrying on a leap day will lead to bad luck. The Greeks believe that most marriages celebrating the anniversary will lead to divorce. As for the Italians, leap year is reportedly when women are erratic.

Fellas, The Chinese are not on your side in dodging Leap Year 2024. 2024 will be celebrated as the ‘Year of the Wood Dragon’. The positive qualities of wood (like growth and flexibility), combined with the inspiring traits of the mythical animal ensure that 2024 will be filled with opportunities for personal growth, happiness and fortune. Year of the Wood Dragon is particularly great for forging strong bonds and lasting love.

There are a couple of reasons why 2024 is the luckiest year to get married, as per chinese zodiac. Firstly 2024 (2+0+2+4) adds up to 8 – a number which symbolises infinite love between husband and wife. Secondly, 2024 is a leap year, which is considered prosperous for couples tying the knot. Lastly, it’s a bliss to tie the knot in 2024 as it falls on a Saturday. Saturdays are considered to be the most popular day of the week to get married as they’re blessed by Saturn – the planet of commitment and marriage. SORRY.

Where did all of this Leap Year stuff begin? Bachelor's Day, sometimes known as Ladies' Privilege, is an Irish tradition by which women are allowed to propose to men on Leap Day, 29 February, based on a legend of Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick. It once had legal basis in Scotland and England. I'm sure men headed to the hills when the calander had the infamous Leap Year.

Even with such history behind Leap Year, men don't like it. From 1904 into the 1960s, shame and ridicule made it difficult for women to take advantage of the opportunity to propose to men. Critics held that women who asked men to marry them were desperate, aggressive, and unfeminine." In an age of increasing equality for women, it would seem that offering special permission to propose once every four years would be laughable at best, and insulting at worst.

The question I asked was, "When were men given sole power to decide and determine when to get married?" There IS a reason recorded as to WHY a man gets down on one knee to propose. It's a tradition dating back to medieval times when a knight dropped to one knee as a sign of respect for royalty. Proposing on “bended knee” is a show of respect for a future bride and the act also signifies loyalty and devotion.

There is a history of getting ENGAGED. The modern Western form of the practice of giving or exchanging engagement rings is traditionally thought to have begun in 1477 when Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring as an engagement present. 

There is a REASON the father of the intended bride is asked for his permission to marry his daughter. A man asking a woman's father for her hand in marriage was establishedm from the anachronistic notion that women were once considered property. In fact, even if couples were marrying for love, women were considered to be under the control of men and needed permission from their fathers to leave the family home.

 There's a history of the first RECORDED marriage. Most couples didn't marry because they were in love, but rather for economic liaisons. According to The Week, the institution of marriage is over 4,350 years old. The first recorded marriage took place in 2350 B.C. in Mesopotamia.

There is a biblical explaination for WHY people would get married. Companionship is the first purpose of marriage..marriagemm mmmama marriage. Genesis2:18, the Lord said it wasn't good for man to be alone. God designed marriage so that man and woman could have a close relationship. And least we forget, marriage was given the purpose to be fruitful and multiply. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28).

There is no history I found, which answers concretely why men have the domain of being the one to extend an offer of marriage. But there is a logical answer.

From the earliest history, women were not the ones who had wealth. Men were workers and earned income. Property and money were passed down to sons in the family unit. Women did not own property or work jobs which allowed them the ability to care for themselves financially. Even though there is an adage about 'purse strings,' which is definitely feminine, men controlled the money for centuries.

The famous line spoken by the character Blanche Dubois, in A Streetcar Named Desire, said "Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,"sums up the plight of women in the past. Their lives DEPENDED on a man choosing 'them' to marry. Women have done everything imagineable in attempts to secure security through marriage. In essence, women competed against each other fiercely to obtain the best marriage proposals from men of financial means.

Even after women were allowed to own property and not be in the catagory OF property, the tradition of the man proposing stuck. In modern times, marriage is no longer viewed as necessary to being fruitful and multiplying nor for companionship.

I titled this post as Powerful Manhood because, part of men living into manhood is being a provider, protector, and procreator. Manhood is demonstrated best in RELATIONSHIPS in having someone to provide for, protect, and procreate with. The GENESIS MAN, a term I have coined, was instructed in the Christian Bible to 1) leave his parent's house, 2) find a companion (to bring to his own established home), and 3) have children (not out of wedlock). That is powerful manhood. 

Men still hold the power when it comes to proposing, Leap Year or not. It is a big step when he does propose and should not be taken lightly. I hope every man enters ther proposal with the mindset of POWERFUL MANHOOD.

Don't forget to buy my book, When Will Eve Be Forgiven?, and please like, share, comment. and follow. See you next blog post. Thank you.