Brazilians joke that “the year starts in March” because of Carnival. Italians say: “Crazy March, look at the sun and grab an umbrella.”
There’s also the expression “To be like the March hare”, which captures the unpredictability reflected on rabbits. The behavior fascinated Lewis Carroll enough to feature prominently in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Living away from the tropics taught me that March is pure transition. Between winter and spring, it is shown in its name, history, and traditions about conflict and change.
March Back In Time
Literally named after Mars, the god of war, it was time for the Romans to dust their weapons off. The color red was wore by soldiers and priests during ceremonies, symbolizing both bloodshed and new life.Talk about mixed messaging.
The Ides of March
Around March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar had the worst meeting ever when he was stabbed in the Senate. Plot twist: instead of saving the Republic, this kicked off the Empire. The legend says some oracle warned him: “Beware the Ides of March!” (Cave Idus Martias!).
“Ides of March” now is shorthand for betrayal and office politics gone wrong.
New Year’s in March
Before Caesar’s calendar hacks, March was actually the first month. This explains why September through December are named after numbers (seven to ten in Latin).
Covering all the symbology, the spring equinox hits around March 20-21. It’s when we have perfect balance, with days lasting the same as nights. Throughout history, people celebrated this fresh start, performing rituals and praying for good harvests.
War and peace. Uncertainty and promise. Red and green. Death and rebirth. Welcome to March, in which the only constant is change.1
- Featured Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash. ↩︎
