March
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March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven months with a length of 31 days.
March in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Northern Hemisphere.
The name of March comes from ancient Rome, when March was the first month of the year and called Martius after Mars, the Roman god of war. In Rome, where the climate is Mediterranean, March is the first month of spring, a logical point for the beginning of the year as well as the start of the military campaign season. The numbered year began on March 1 in Russia until the end of the fifteenth century. Great Britain and her colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, the same year they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. Many other cultures and religions still celebrate the beginning of the New Year in March.
In Finnish, the month is called maaliskuu, which originates from maallinen kuu meaning earthy month. This is because in maaliskuu earth started to show from under the snow. Historical names for March include Saxon: Lenctmonat, named for the equinox and eventual lengthening of days and the eventual namesake of Lent. Saxons also called March Rhed-monat or Hreth-monath (for their goddess Rhedam/Hreth), and Angles called it Hyld-monath
[edit] Events in March
- American Red Cross Month
- Fire Prevention month (The Philippines)
- Women's History Month (United States)
- Mardi Gras (February 3 to March 9 in regular years or February 4 to March 9 in leap years)
- Ash Wednesday (February 4 to March 10 in regular years; February 5 to March 10 in leap years)
- The wearing of a Martenitsa in Bulgaria and Mărţişor in Romania (March 1)
- Saint David's Day (March 1)
- National Reading Day (United States) (March 2)
- Texas Independence Day (March 2. State holiday in Texas, USA.
- World Maths Day The 1st Wednesday in March
- International Women's Day - March 8
- Pluto Planet Day (New Mexico)- March 13 (discussed here)
- White Day(Asia) (March 14)
- Pi Day (March 14)
- The Ides of March, the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus, Cassius, Casca, and others (March 15)
- Remembering to the 1848's Hungarian Revolution (March 15)
- Saint Patrick's Day (March 17)
- Saint Joseph's Day (March 19)
- The equinox named the vernal or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 19 March to 21 March (in UTC).
- Nowruz: New Year's Day in Iran and several other countries. A holiday in Turkey, and Central Asian countries as well.
- Good Friday (some Friday between March 20 to April 23, being the last Friday before Easter)
- World Water Day (March 22)
- Easter (some Sunday between March 22 to April 25)
- Pakistan Day - March 23
- Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship (March 23)
- Annunciation (March 25)
- Hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers starts in late March.
- Prince Kūhiō Day - March 26. State holiday in the State of Hawaii, US.
- Independence Day Of Bangladesh - March 26, 1971
[edit] Miscellaneous
- March begins on the same day of the week as November in all years (i.e. March 1 = November 1) and February in common years.
- From March onwards, every five months will be exactly the same as the day before the day that begins the month five months ago. Thus, March 1 = August 2, April 1 = September 2, May 1 = October 2, etc. This is due to the fact that from March onwards, every five months equal exactly 153 days, which is one day shy of being divisible by seven.
- March's birthstone is Aquamarine.[citation needed]
- March's birth flower is the Daffodil.[citation needed]
- Common folk wisdom contends that if March "comes in like a lion" it will "go out like a lamb." The reverse is also true. The animals are meant to represent the ferocity (or lack thereof) of the weather during that month.[citation needed]