A birthday with calendar stories, traditions, people and reasons to keep exploring.
February 29 is day 60 of a common year and carries the traditional birthday symbols associated with February: Amethyst and Violet & Primrose.
February 29 is day 60 of a common year and carries the traditional birthday symbols associated with February: Amethyst and Violet & Primrose.
This profile brings together calendar context, birthday traditions and verified material connected with February 29.
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Explore how birthstones became associated with calendar months and the traditions connected with February.
Explore birthstones →Discover the flower traditions linked with February and how birth flowers became part of modern birthday culture.
Explore birth flowers →The same calendar date has opposite seasonal settings in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Explore calendar stories →Cakes, candles, songs and milestone ages vary across families and cultures.
Traditions around the world →There is no single universal way to mark a birthday. Customs differ by family, community and country, which is part of what makes birthday culture so interesting.
A date worth exploring
February 29 is day 60 of a common year and carries the traditional birthday symbols associated with February: Amethyst and Violet & Primrose.
Explore this birthday →Tokyo Skytree was completed, reaching a height of 634 metres.
TechnologyJean-Bertrand Aristide left office as president of Haiti amid a political uprising.
WorldThe siege of Sarajevo was formally lifted after nearly four years.
WorldA Boeing 737 crashed near Arequipa, Peru, killing all 123 people on board.
AviationHattie McDaniel became the first Black performer to win an Academy Award.
Arts & CultureAmerican composer, arranger, singer and record producer.
Algerian singer who became one of the best-known international performers of raï music.
American singer, actor and television personality.
American professional baseball player and manager.
Italian composer celebrated for operas including The Barber of Seville.
February 29 is day 60 of a common year, with 306 days remaining after it. Its traditional February birthday associations include Amethyst and Violet & Primrose.
Discover more →Choose a birth year to open a curated snapshot of music, film, technology, sport and culture.
February 29 connects you with a date in the calendar, traditions, history and people whose lives began on the same day. Add your birth year to make the journey personal.