Happy New Month: 10 Facts About The Month Of March You Should Know

Welcome everyone to the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of seven months that are 31 days long. A lot of you might wonder what there is about March you need to know. We bet you didn’t know where and how the month got its name, who named it and many more. These and more are what INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you in this piece…

1. The name of March comes from Latin Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named after 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.

2. In Old English one name for the month of March was “Hlyda” meaning “loud” possibly because of the roaring March winds.

3. March is the only month with three consecutive consonants in its name in English.

4. In ancient Rome before Julius Caesar’s calendar reform, March was the first month of the year.

5. The expression “mad as a March hare” dates back to 1529. It refers to the wild behaviour of male hares during the mating season in March.

6. The birthstone for March is aquamarine and the flowers are the daffodil or violet and these stones symbolize courage.

7. March 1 is not only St. David’s Day but is also the Independence Day of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

8. Olusegun Obasanjo, Taribo West, Pete Edochie, Banky W, Bola Tinubu and Mathew Ashimolowo are some of the Nigerians born in this month.

9. Special Christian observances for this year’s March include: Palm Sunday 2016 date: March 20, Holy Monday 2016 date: March 21, Holy Tuesday 2016 date: March 22, Holy Wednesday 2016 date: March 23, Maundy Thursday 2016 date: March 24, Good Friday/Friday of Sorrows 2016 date: March 25 and Holy Saturday 2016 date: March 26. Easter day is March 27 and/. Easter Monday is March 28.

10. The zodiac signs for the month of March are Pisces (until March 20) and Aries (March 21 onwards).

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