Leap Day 2024: What is La Bougie du Sapeur, the satirical French newspaper only published once every four years in a Leap Year?

The newspaper La Bougie du Sapeur is published every leap year

It has been running for more than 40 years, but has only published 12 issues.

Today, the satirical 20-page tabloid La Bougie du Sapeur, the world's only quadrennial, hit the newsstands in France for the first time since 2020.

Only available in print, with no online presence, the paper has a print run of 200,000 and sells for €4.90 (£4.20). However, subscriptions are available at the price of €100 per century, while back issues are €15, but often sell for substantially more on auction sites.

Editor Vicomte Jean d'Indy, pictured here in 2016, holds a copy of the leap year publication La Bougie du Sapeur, which has been running since 1980 and has only published 12 issues. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

The title of the paper, which translates as “The Sapper's Candle”, refers to a cartoon character created in the late 19th century, the Sapper Camember. In the story, Mr Camember was born on February 29 and joined the army when he had celebrated his birthday only four times.

"After the first issue sold out in two days, the newsagents were clamouring for more copies – so we said ‘fine, but only in four years' time’," said editor Vicomte Jean d'Indy. "The paper's still put out by a few pals. We meet in a bar and toss around ideas over drinks. We have a lot of fun and, if the reader does too, that's the icing on the cake."

Get a daily digest of news from around the globe with The World Explained newsletter

The paper styles itself as “anti-politically correct” and satirical, and contains puns, jokes, wordplay and interviews. However, it often tackles topics in a controversial way.

The front-page story of the 2020 edition had a headline about how exams and intellectual attainment were being made redundant by AI.

Meanwhile, another piece, titled "What men need to know before becoming women", discusses "challenges" facing men wanting to transition.

"It is French humour, and it does not translate into other languages," says d'Indy. "We try to be silly, but not nasty – to poke fun without being cruel.

"I hope we are a bit of fresh air every four years. These days people need to be able to laugh."

On the foreign pages, former British prime minister Liz Truss is described as the most "forgettable" of modern British prime ministers. It also contains a serialised story, The Drowning in the Pool, the next episode of which will not be published until 2028.