The month of Mars
March, the third month of the year, has thirty-one clays.
On the Roman calendar, the year began with March. Romans named the month
after Mars, their god of war, because springtime was when they prepared
to go off to war.
Until a little more than two hundred years ago, March 25 was New Year’s
Day in England and America. Then the new calendar was adopted and
January became the first month of the year.
In England, long ago, people called March Lencten-monath, meaning
“Lengthening month.” After the first day of spring (March 20 or 21), the
days do grow longer.
In the northern half of the world, people often say that “March comes in
like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” This means that the weather in
early March is often stormy, but by the end, it is mild. In the southern
part of the world, March marks the beginning of fall.
