More Proposals

February 28th, 2012 |

Apparently Valentine’s Day is not the only day in February when it’s popular to pop the question.  Folk traditions promote Leap Day as the clandestine day for ladies to propose marriage to their men.  Mr. Victor Bealer, from the Bingen area, received not one, but two postcards promoting this tradition in 1916.  The cards were sent from two locations, South Bethlehem and Easton from unknown senders.

We’re not sure if Mr. Bealer accepted either of the potential proposals, and the oddity of the cards are that they were postmarked October 14th and 18th.   The cards’ ‘late’ delivery date perhaps points to the tradition being quite flexible over the course of the Leap Year.  More likely, the cards were part of an annual boxed set of holiday greetings, and the Leap Year cards were not very popular and used at the later date as a joke.

Share This