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March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and one of the seven months which are 31 days long.

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 named 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, which was when 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, because during maaliskuu, earth finally became visible under the snow. Historical names for March include the Saxon Lenctmonat, named after the 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.

Events in March

March, from the Très riches heures du duc de Berry

Easter eggs. Easter is usually celebrated in March or in April

• American Red Cross Month
• Fire Prevention Month (The Philippines)
• Women's History Month (United States)
• 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, United States
• 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 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)
• Anniversary of the 1848 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; 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
• Easter, the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21
• World Water Day, March 22
• 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, United States
• Bangladeshi Independence Day, March 26, 1971

March symbols

The Daffodil, Japan's floral emblem of January

• March's birthstone is aquamarine
• Its birth flower is the daffodil¹

References

External links

Look up March in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: March

• Astronomy Answers article on the seasons

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 1 December 2008, at 20:54.

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