March (ⁱ/mɑrtʃ/) is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of seven months that are 31 days long. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20th marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where September is the seasonal equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere's March.

March starts on the same day of the week as November every year, and February in common years only. March ends on the same day of the week as June every year. In leap years, March starts on the same day as September and December of the previous year. In common years, March starts on the same day as June of the previous year.

Origin [edit]

March, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a book of prayers to be said at canonical hours

The name of March comes from Latin Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. His month Martius was the beginning of the season for both farming and warfare,^[1] and the festivals held in his honor during the month were mirrored by others in October, when the season for these activities came to a close.^[2] Martius remained the first month of the Roman calendar year perhaps as late as 153 BC,^[3] and several religious observances in the first half of the month were originally new year's celebrations.^[4] Even in late antiquity, Roman mosaics picturing the months sometimes still placed March first.^[5]

March 1 began the numbered year in Russia until the end of the 15th century. Great Britain and its colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, when they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. Many other cultures and religions still celebrate the beginning of the New Year in March.

Other names [edit]

In Finnish, the month is called maaliskuu, which is believed to originate from maallinen kuu, meaning earthy month, because during maaliskuu, earth finally becomes visible under the snow (other etymological theories have however been put forward). In Ukrainian, the month is called березень, meaning birch tree, and březen in Czech. Historical names for March include the Saxon Lentmonat, named after the March equinox and gradual lengthening of days, and the eventual namesake of Lent. Saxons also called March Rhed-monat or Hreth-monath (deriving from their goddess Rhedam/Hreth), and Angles called it Hyld-monath. In Slovene, the traditional name is sušec, meaning the month when the earth becomes dry enough so that it is possible to cultivate it. The name was first written in 1466 in the Škofja Loka manuscript. Other names were used too, for example brezen and breznik, "the month of birches".^[6] The Turkish word Mart is given after the name of Mars the god.

Events in March [edit]

• National Association of Social Workers National Professional Social Work Month (United States)
• American Dietetic Association National Nutrition Month (United States)
• American Red Cross Month
• Colorectal Cancer awareness month
• Epilepsy Awareness Month (Canada)
• Fire Prevention Month (The Philippines)
• International Francophone Month
• Mărțișor in Romania and Moldavia, and Martenitsa in Bulgaria, March 1
• The anniversary of the Independence Movement of March 1 (Korea)
• Saint David's Day, (Welsh Holiday) March 1
• Self-injury Awareness Day, March 1
• National Reading Day (United States), March 2
• Texas Independence Day, March 2: State holiday in Texas, United States
• The Nineteen Day Fast, part of the Bahá'í Faith, March 2 through March 20
• Mardi Gras (February 3 to March 9 in regular years, 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)
• World Maths Day, the first 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
• Save a Spider Day, March 14
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week March 14 to March 20 (United States)
• The Ides of March, the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus, Cassius, Casca and others (March 15)
• Anniversary of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, March 15
• Saint Patrick's Day, March 17
• Sun-Earth Day, March 18
• World Social Work Day 2013, The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) March 19
• Saint Joseph's Day, March 19
• UN French Language Day, March 20
• 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 March 19 to March 21 (in UTC)
• Equinox Earth Day (UNO), in the northern hemisphere, occurs on dates varying from March 19 to March 21
• Nowruz: New Year's Day in Iran and several other countries; also a holiday in Turkey and Central Asian countries as well, celebrated on the day of the equinox
• Good Friday, a Friday between March 20 and April 23, being the last Friday before Easter
• Human Rights Day (South Africa), March 21
• World Down Syndrome Day, celebrated in the UK, it is a day to spread awareness of Trisomy 21, otherwise in the UK known as Down Syndrome or DS, March 21
• Easter, the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, usually, but not always, occurring in April.
• International Francophone Day , March 22
• World Water Day, March 22
• World Meteorological Organization
• Pakistan Day, March 23
• Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship, March 23
• Annunciation, March 25
• Celebration of the Greek War of Independence, March 25, 1821
• Last day of the Japanese fiscal year and school year, March 31. Hanami, the Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, starts around this time.
• Purple Day, March 26: The Global Day of Epilepsy Awareness founded by Cassidy Megan, an inspirational epileptic girl from Nova Scotia, Canada who is dedicated to increasing epilepsy awareness worldwide. March 26 is officially recognized by law as Purple Day for epilepsy awareness in Canada.^[7]
• Prince Kūhiō Day, March 26: state holiday in the State of Hawaii, United States
• Bangladeshi Independence Day, March 26, 1971.
• Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament
• Spring Training for Major League Baseball
• Part of the Year of the Solar System:
  • March 2011: Ancient Astronomers/Modern Tools: Celebrating Sun-Earth Day
  • March 2012: Shadows of the Sun
• Commonwealth Day, on the second Monday
• World Kidney Day, on the second Thursday
• Summer Day in Albania, on March 14.
• Hexagonal Awareness Month
• The Australian Grand Prix to open the Formula One season is held in March.
• March is the first month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe, Asia and part of Africa) and the first month of fall or autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, part of Africa, and Oceania).

March symbols [edit]

The Daffodil, the floral emblem of March

• March's birthstones are aquamarine and bloodstone. These stones symbolize courage.
• Its birth flower is the Daffodil.^[8]
• The zodiac signs for the month of March are Pisces (astrology) (until March 20) and Aries (astrology) (March 21 onwards).

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: March

Look up March in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: March

• Astronomy Answers article on the seasons