Question about the Jewish Calendar and the leap year?

It is written in Esther: 'And in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar;' which, according to tradition, was the second Adar of a leap year. I know this is just begging the question--I'll have to find the original Talmudic/Midrashic passage to really answer.

[edit] Oy, it's even more complicated than that! See the first link below.

Also--someone born in Adar during a non leap year would celebrate his birthday in Adar II during a leap year. However, someone born during either Adar in a leap year will celebrate his birthday during Adar in a non-leap year, except that someone born on 30 Adar I will celebrate his birthday on 1 Nisan in a non-leap year because Adar in a non-leap year has only 29 days.

I believe that the reason for placing Purim in Adar II in a leap year is simply that it's closer to the season of Passover that way.

As to a birthday in Adar II - I don't know :-) I guess it's like a person born on the 29th of February who celebrate on the first of March unless it's a leap year; I suppose the equivalent would be celebrating an Adar II birthdate in Nisan on a year that's not a leap year.

I think it was just a convention. I'm glad it was done that way, or we'd gain ANOTHER 10lbs. with the Purim junk food sticking around the house another month!

Birthdays celebrated in the second Adar, just like Purim.

Nice to have an extra month of Joy this year, no?

If you were born on Addar, you celebrate your B-Day only once; even if you were born on Addar 2 during a leap year!!! (then of course you celebrate every year on Addar)....

I believe an extra Addar is added because it is described in the Torah as the last month; the first being Nissan, which is the month in which the Jewish people became a nation and went out of Egypt.

For more info on the Jewish calendar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar