February 29 takes approximately 6 hours longer than 365 whole days. A leap day compensates for this lag, realigning the calendar with the Earth's position in the Solar System; otherwise, seasons would occur later than intended in the calendar year. The Julian calendar used in Christendom until the 16th century added a leap day every four years; but this rule adds too many days (roughly 3 every 400 years), making the equinoxes and solstices shift gradually to earlier dates. By the 16th century the vernal equinox had drifted to March 11, and the Gregorian calendar was introduced both to shift it back
Middle-earth calendar the three extra days in every third "yén" (once every 432 years), for an average year length of ≈365.24306 days. In Rivendell, the "loa" began on the spring equinox and was divided into six "months" or seasons, as follows. Five other days, two between "coirë" and "tuilë" and three between "yávië" and "quellë", meant the calendar added up to 365 days. Irregularities were allowed for by adding another three days every twelve years, except the last year of a "yén". The calendar developed by the Men of Middle-earth is called the King's Reckoning, and is in many ways similar to