In the Gregorian calendar, March is the third month of the year. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It is named after Mars.

In the Northern Hemisphere, March comes with the end of Winter and the promise of Spring, with new life, flowers, sunny days, and warmth.

The month hosts the beginning of spring, which meteorologically begins on the first day of March. But astronomically, Spring begins on the March equinox, which is the day the hours of darkness (night) are the same as the hours of light (day), on the 20^th or 21^st.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the beginning of autumn.

Origin of the name

The name of March comes from Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar.

It was named after Mars, the Roman god of war, and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus.

The festivals held in Mars’ honor during the month were mirrored by others in October when the season for these activities came to a close.

Traditionally, this was the time of year to resume military campaigns that had been interrupted by winter.

Martius remained the first month of the Roman calendar year until 700 BC when January and February were added to the end of the Roman calendar. These then became the first and second months around 450 BC. This means that several religious observances in the first half of the month were originally New Year's celebrations.
 

March 1^st 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.

March’s big days

March is dedicated to Brain Tumor Awareness in the UK and, elsewhere, to the women, Colon Cancer Awareness, the Mustache beard, Youth Art and Red Cross.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, which celebrates the achievements of women and the progress made toward women’s rights, as well as the ongoing struggles for gender equality around the world.

March 27^th is the start of Passover, upon which the Christian communities map their Holy Week and Easter Sunday, which will occur on April 4.

This year, other days include:

March 1^st - Zero Discrimination Day

March 1^st - World Compliment Day

March 1^st - World Tennis Day

March 3^rd - World Wildlife Day

March 4^th - World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development

March 10^th - No Smoking Day

March 11^th - World Kidney Day

March 12^th - World Glaucoma Day

March 13^th - Africa Scout Day
 

March 14^th - International Day of Action for Rivers

March 14^th International Day of Mathematics

March 15^th World Consumer Rights Day

March 19^th - World Sleep Day

March 20^th - International Day of Happiness

Match 20^th - World Frog Day

March 20^th - World Oral Health Day

March 20^th - World Sparrow Day

March 21^st - Anal Cancer Awareness Day

March 21^st - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

March 21^st - World Poetry Day

March 21^st - World Down Syndrome Day

March 21^st - International Day of Forests

March 23^rd - World Bear Day

March 22^nd - World Water Day

March 23^rd - World Meteorological Day

March 24^th - World Tuberculosis Day

March 25^th - International Day of Remembrance of Slavery Victims and the March Transatlantic Slave Trade

March 26^th - Purple Day for Epilepsy

March 27^th - World Theatre Day

March 30^th - World Bipolar Day

Did you know?

• March begins on the same day of the week as November and ends on the same day of the week as June every year.
  
  
• March begins on the same day of the week as February in common years only.
  
  
• In years preceding common years, March begins and ends on the same day of the week as August of the following year
  
  
• March ends on the same day of the week as November of the following year and in years preceding leap years, it begins and ends on the same day of the week as May of the following year.
  
  
• In common years, March begins on the same day of the week as June of the previous year and in leap years, September and December of the previous year.
  
  
• In common years, March ends on the same day of the week as September of the previous year and in leap years, April and December of the previous year.
  
  
• March’s full Moon, reaches peak illumination on Sunday, March 28, at 2:50. This full moon, known as the Full Worm Moon, is the first of the three super moons, which coincides with perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit of Earth where it’s closest to our planet. It is called the Worm Moon due to the softening of the ground that typically happens in the spring, allowing earthworms to emerge.
  
  
• Babies born in March have their zodiac sign as either Pisces or Aries. The Pisces are born between March 1 and 20, and Aries from March 21 through the end of the month.
  
  
• Pisces is said to be "smart, creative, and deeply intuitive," while Aries is said to have "passionate and independent."
  
  
• March is the birthday month of famous people, including Justin Bieber (March 1), Dr. Seuss (March 2), Albert Einstein (March 14), Harry Houdini (March 24), and Mariah Carey (March 27).
  
  
• A study in Austria revealed that babies born at the end of March tend to be taller than others. The study, which said April babies were the tallest yet, attributed this to the amount of light-dependent melatonin women are exposed to during pregnancy.