March
March is the
third month of the
year in the
Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31
days. See:-
Months in various calendarsMarch begins (astrologically, non-sidereal) with the sun in the sign of
Pisces and ends in the sign of
Aries. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of
Aquarius and ends in the constellation of
Pisces.
In
ancient Rome, March was called
Martius, so named after Mars, the
Roman god of war; the month was considered a lucky time to begin a war. The Romans wanted to honor Mars, so they named the month after him.
March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar because the winter months of January and February were unsuited for warfare.
Julius Caesar's calendar
reform in 45 BCE began the year on
January 1. The tradition of starting the year in March continued in some countries for a long time.
January 1 was only instituted as
New Year's Day in
France in 1564.
Great Britain and her colonies continued to use
March 25 until 1752, the same year they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar.
In ancient
Hellenic civilization, March was called Anthesterion. In
old Japanese calendar, the month is called
Yayoi (å¼¥ç"Ÿ). In
Finnish, the month is called
maaliskuu, which is originating from
maallinen kuu meaning
earthy month. This is because in maaliskuu earth started to show from under the snow.Historical names for March include the
Saxon term Lenctmonat, named for the
equinox and eventual lengthening of days and the eventual namesake of
Lent. The Saxons also called March Rhed-monat (for their goddess
Rhedam); ancient
Britons called it hyld-monath (meaning loud or stormy).
|
March, from the Très riches heures du duc de Berry |
*
Mardi Gras (Sometime between
February 3 to
March 9 in non-leap years or
February 4 to
March 9 in
leap years)
*
Ash Wednesday (Sometime between
February 4 to
March 10)
*
Saint David's Day (
March 1)
*
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).
*East Pakistan Province, declares separation from the Union of the Federated state, and thereafter adopts the name
'Bangla-desh' (
March 26).
*
Norouz: New Year's Day in
Iran and several other countries. A holiday in
Turkey,
Japan, and
Central Asian countries as well.
*
Good Friday (Sometime between
March 20 to
April 23)
*
Easter (Sometime between
March 22 to
April 25)
* Irish-American Heritage Month (
St. Patrick's Day)
* Best Buddies Month
* Women's History Month
* Optimism Month
* National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
* American Red Cross Month
* National Frozen Foods Month
* National Umbrella Month
* National Athletic Training Month
*
Spring begins (
March 21)
* The wearing of a
Martenitsa in
Bulgaria and
Mărţişor in
Romania (
March 1)
* The Thirtieth of March Tragedy (
March 30)
* Fire Prevention month (The Philippines)
*March begins on the same day of the week as February, excepting leap years, and as November every year.
*There is an
adage that March "comes in like a
lion, but goes out like a
lamb", referring to the
weather that some regions experience during the month. This
saying is meant to demonstrate the unpredictable
weather which often occurs as the
seasons change.
*March in the
Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to
September in the
Southern Hemisphere (and vice versa).
*The
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, colloquially known as "March Madness," is a 20-day tournament that begins in March; however, the Championship Game is played in early April.
*March's
birthstone is
aquamarine for
Pisces and
diamond for
Aries.
*March's
flower is the
jonquil.
*
Historical anniversaries*
Astronomy Answers article on the seasonsnds-nl:Meertzh-yue:3月
