A one in four year miracle
Now the question is: on what day will your birthday be next year?
So if you are born on 29 February in 2016, would you be four years old in 2032?
Some say yes, laughingly, but others are faced with deciding between two days, neither of which is their actual birth date, to have their annual birthday on.
Bongiwe Mtshali, who gave birth to her baby girl Okuhle Mkhizi at Netcare Pinehaven Hospital on 29 February this year, said she will arrange a big celebration every four years but is still not sure on what day her leap year baby will celebrate her birthday on next year.
Evelyn Mogale, who gave birth to Onalemna Mogale in Netcare Krugersdorp Hospital, said her daughter will have her first birthday on 1 March next year.
In a poll posted on Facebook, Krugersdorpers mostly agreed that a 28 February birthday would be better. Irma van Buuren said that by celebrating your birthday on the 28th, you still celebrate your birthday in the month you were born in.
Liesl-Marie Simon, the Netcare Krugersdorp’s Client Liaison Officer, told the News that every other day you find a lot of babies being born at the hospital, but on this year’s leap day,only Onalemna was born.
As for Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital, there were no shortage of leap year babies. Among the 17 that were born there also was a set of triplets, Puseltso Mabidikame, the hospital’s spokesperson said.
The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, a free membership international birthday club for people born on 29 February, has over 10 000 people from all over the world who had to make the big birth date decision.
Paul Styka, one of the members said he has always been asked when he celebrates his birthday, “and my response has always been, when someone wishes a happy birthday to me.”
And if you do decide to celebrate on 29 February every four years, you will wait only 1 459 days till your next birthday.
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