I know that most handfasting rituals bind 2 people together for a year and a day, and I'm reading 'Gawain and the Green Knight' and they made a pact for a year and a day. Why isn't it just a year? Why a year and a day?
Thanks folks!
2007-09-16 08:13:28 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
There are many answers to this. Some of them are:
The period of a year and a day was a convenient period to represent a significant amount of time. Its use was generally as a jubilee or a permanence.
Historically (England) the period that a couple must be married for a spouse to have claim to a share of inheritable property.
In mediaeval Europe, a runaway serf became free after a year and a day.
When a judgement has been reversed a fresh action may lodged within a year and a day, regardless of the statute of limitations.( USA)
In USA a common sentence length; for example, computer cracker Adil Yahya Zakaria Shakour was sentenced to one year and one day. For some crimes this is the minimum penalty, as traditionally in English-speaking, common law countries, misdemeanors many not entail a sentence of more than a year (hence, "eleven months and twenty-nine days") whereas felonies are traditionally punished by incarceration of over one year, hence "a year and a day." Furthermore, in many jurisdictions, prisoners are eligible for parole only if their sentences are longer than a year; by imposing a sentence of a year and a day, judges can offer defendants a chance at parole.
In the case of your reading material, I would think that "a year and a day" is being used to indicate a significant period of time...ie: not just for a year, but beyond.
2007-09-16 08:24:13 · answer #1 · answered by claudiacake 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is a good question with a fairly logical answer. "A year and a day" is based on the comparison between the Lunar Year (364 days) and the Solar Year (365 days). The lunar year is made up up of 13 months of 28 days (one month being from full moon until full moon). This equals 364 days. The solar year, which is the amount of time it takes for our planet to revolve once around the sun, is 365 days (the ancients knew this because of the solstices and equinoxes). The 'year and a day' rule was used for many things, such as contracts, handfastings, and all manner of things relating to business and law as well. Incidentially, the 'year and a day' rule had some significance in European common law up through 1996.
2007-09-16 08:33:37 · answer #2 · answered by Leigh-Ann A 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
On January 1, Catholics recognize Mary as the Mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son. Holy Days of Obligation are feasts on which Catholics are required to assist at Mass. In the United States these are: • Christmas, the Nativity of Jesus, December 25 • Mary Mother of God, January 1 • Ascension of the Lord, forty days after Easter • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15 • All Saints' Day, November 1 • Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8 By the way, every Sunday is considered a Holy Day of Obligation. Therefore Holy Days that are always on Sundays like Easter are not listed. Outside the United States, variations of Holy Days may occur. With love in Christ.
2016-03-13 04:30:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A Year And A Day
2016-10-05 11:03:13 · answer #4 · answered by oplinger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you look at the calendar for most years, it is NOT exactly 52 weeks. 52 weeks = 364 days, the "additional" day brings the total to 365, which is the total number of days in most years....
Many handfasting rituals use this as the "betrothal" period, which is designed to test the strength of the relationship. If it lasts past this period there is a SECOND "permanent" handfasting ritual....
Yes, there is a counterpart to divorce in this scenario. It's called a "hand-parting" or "severing the knot"
2007-09-16 08:29:31 · answer #5 · answered by Anne Hatzakis 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's also a reasonably common legal rule. Or it used to be, anyway. Not so much now. It used to be that if you fatally wounded someone you could only be charged with murder if they died within a year and a day, for example.
Anyway, the significance may be that a year and a day removes the inconsistency associated with leap years, or perhaps it's to do with a solar year being one day longer than a lunar year. I'm really not sure.
2007-09-16 08:28:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
That was a popular custom during the Middle Ages. The idea was completion took a year. The additional day was sorta a new beginning. You might be able to search Medieval Literature online for more.
2007-09-16 08:22:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The year can be forgiven, but the day can not.
2007-09-16 08:21:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because a year flies by like that (snaps fingers).
2007-09-16 08:17:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
a "year and a day" means "more than a year".... more than that I can't help ya
2007-09-16 08:22:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋