Four going on 16

Sophomore reminisces on having a leap-year birthday

Story by Kunan Anjum, Staff Writer

February 29, 2024

Sophomore Kunan Anjum holds a small birthday cake with a number four candle. As a tradition, every leap year his family puts on a leap year age candle instead of his actual age.

Family and friends gather around the party table singing “Happy Birthday.” After the candle is lit they gather as it gets blown out over the cake. Another birthday down, with four years left until the next.

I was born on Feb. 29, 2008. You might be wondering “What’s so special about that date? It’s just another birthday.” A day on the calendar and nothing more than that. To that, I say you’re absolutely right.

It’s nothing more than a birthday, but what separates it from the rest is its presence on the calendar, or lack thereof.

The 29th of February is the result of a full year being 365.25 days (365.2422 to be exact), as opposed to the 365 we’re all familiar with. To have our calendar, and all of its respective months, in sync with the seasons, we’ve made three out of four years 365 days.

That one remaining year, most commonly observed as a leap year, has one of the rarest birthdays possible, Feb. 29. The odds of one being born on the 29th are 1 out of 1,461.

The self-proclaimed term for those born on Feb. 29 is “leapling.” As cool as it is to be born on the 29th, I must admit I hate that word. The main reason being that my parents have never called me that, and it sounds immature.

As far as traditions go, my family has never made any grand plans for my leap-year birthday. Although it is a special case, it’s still just a birthday in their eyes. When I was younger, we hosted a typical birthday party with friends and family. Now that I’ve grown out of the birthday “party” phase, I celebrate with my immediate family at dinner with a cookie cake.

One minor custom that we do for my actual birthday is to place the number of how old I am in leap years on the cake, and when it’s not a leap year I’ll just have the number I am in actual years on the cake.

This year my family plans on doing just that. We’re going to get a cookie cake and a number 4 candle for my birthday this year.

Although being born on Feb. 29 to some might seem like something very special, when all is said and done, it’s just a birthday. A very, very rare birthday.

About the Contributors

Kunan Anjum, editor-in-chief

Kunan Anjum is a returning member of THS Publications as the Editor-In-Chief and last hope of Tiger Times Online. When Anjum isn’t busy fighting through homework he’s most likely listening to music, playing pickleball, or reading random articles on Medium. Shockingly enough, Anjum is a junior representative of STUCO, vice president of HOSA, a member of T-High ASPIRE, technical writer for T-Bots, and a member of Quill & Scroll Honor Society and NHS; once again proving that he has no life outside of his academic endeavors. Anjum is thrilled to have the opportunity to build the school newspaper back to its former glory, brick by brick while being understaffed and overworked. If all goes well, Anjum plans to attend UT Austin with a major in biochemistry where he will continue to battle his life-threatening caffeine addiction.

Lyric Curtis, Visual Journalist/Staff Writer

Senior Lyric Curtis is a first year staff writer in THS Publications. She is also a first year photographer for the publications team. Curtis is a member of the varsity softball team at THS and has actively participated in Leader In Me for 4 years. She enjoys taking photos, hanging out with friends, laughing at any and everything and listening to her all-time favorite artist, Frank Ocean. Curtis hopes to pursue a career in dental hygiene and attend college at Texas A&M University at College Station. She wants everyone to feel heard and accepted because life is tough!