Should women use the leap year to propose?

If the man says no to the proposal, he should compensate her with… a pair of gloves

If ever there was a case of tradition being a total ass, then this is it. When it comes to the rituals associated with matrimony, practices of yore are high up on the list of how things are done. They are considered part of the charm of a couple's big day, or, if we must, their wedding "brand". Good luck, then, to any woman who seizes upon the custom of proposing on 29 February. But remember, it's only tradition…

First up, when a woman decides to pop the question, she should apparently do so while wearing a red skirt/petticoat. I assume this is the case because red is traditionally the colour of Ann Summers, or perhaps it works as a warning to the bloke in question that his woman friend is about to do something brazen. Then again it's entirely possible that he won't even notice the colour.

The next tradition has it that if the man says no to the proposal, and it's insufficiently awkward, he should compensate her with… a pair of gloves. I would love to be a fly on the wall when that happens. "No, love, I don't care to marry you, but here, have some leather gloves!" M&S will no doubt be stocking up this weekend, just in case.

The gloves were apparently a way to help the woman save face – or hand – and disguise the lack of the ring on her finger that she'd been hoping for. A gloved hand in these circumstances seems to me to be akin to the cross that used to be daubed on front doors to denote that there was a plague sufferer within, but maybe I'm just not getting it.

My cousin asked me recently if, as it's a leap year, I'd be asking my boyfriend to marry me. My boyfriend didn't look too fazed and dismissed the idea on my behalf by saying, "She's not superstitious". By which I think he meant traditional. But I'll check to see if any gloves turn up in our flat all the same.

@lovefoolforever