Ah, March, in like a lion, out like a lamb, or so the saying goes. That’s not the only saying attributed to the moody month. For the Northern Hemisphere, March ushers in spring. That was even true back in the days of the Julian calendar when there were only 10 months and March started off the year. Sayings such as “A bushel of March dust is worth a King’s ransom,” and “March many weathers,” remind us of the swiftly changing and windy weather March brings.
The first three days in March were once considered bad luck. They called them the blind days. No one would plant, enter into an agreement or a journey during these days. March is also known for its borrowing days. Though the story has changed through the ages, the month is no stranger to tumultuous weather. Hundreds of years ago the borrowing days were known to be any wild weather day in March. In later years, the days came to be assigned to the last three days in March.
Historically, planting and war go hand in hand in March. Named for the Roman god of War, Mars, March became a time when armies began to march again and farmers tilled their soil. While farming and the military have both dramatically changed since Roman times, March and spring still holds a power over both of them.
March is the month of spring and with it come a lot of activity in nature. Birds migrate. Animals begin to mate. (They give us the phrase, “Mad as a March hare,” too.) Plants begin to grow. Even the full moon gets involved. The full moon in March is called the Worm Moon. It earns this name because of all the insects beginning to hatch.
Birth Flowers – Daffodile and jonquil
Birth Stone – Aquamarine
Zodiac Signs – Pisces and Aries
March Madness kicks into high gear as basketball enthusiasts cheer on their favorite teams. Whether cheering on a local high school team or their college and professional players, fans wear their colors and watch every nail-biting game.
National Breast Implant Awareness Month
Asset Management Awareness Month
Endometriosis Awareness Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
National Athletic Training Month
National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Brain Injury Awareness Month
National Celery Month
National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
National Cheerleading Safety Month
National Craft Month
National Credit Education Month
National Flour Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Kidney Month
National Noodle Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
National Sauce Month
National Trisomy Awareness Month
National Umbrella Month
National Women’s History Month
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Social Work Month
Day light saving time also adds an element of tradition and rancor to the season as many (though not all) spring forward and change their clocks one hour.