There's a simple reason, and a complex one, for why the leap year is on February 29

It should fall at the end of the 12 months, but the reason we don’t have a December 32 has more than one answer

Byrhtferth’s diagram (left) is a visual meditation on the cosmic and religious resonances of computus, its subject the harmony of the 12 months and four elements, of time and the material world. The tables on the opposite page show a series of diagrams used for determining lunar cycles, days of the week, and divination diagrams based on numerical values assigned to the letters. Picture: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Have you ever wondered why the extra day of the leap year falls on February 29, an odd date at the start of the year, and not at the end of the year on December 32?  There is a simple answer, and a slightly more complex one.

Let’s start with the simple answer. Several ancient cultures, including early Christians, believed the world was created in the spring and therefore March was the beginning of the year.