March is the third month of the year in both the

Julian Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...

and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

, the

meteorological Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of

autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

in the Southern Hemisphere, where September is the seasonal equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere's March.

Origin

The name of March comes from ''

Martius Martius may refer to: * Martius (month) the month of March on the ancient Roman calendar * Campus Martius, the "Field of Mars" in ancient Rome * Telo Martius, an ancient name for Toulon, France People * Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1 ...

'', 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 In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...

. His month ''Martius'' was the beginning of the season for warfare, and the festivals held in his honor during the month were mirrored by others in October, when the season for these activities came to a close. ''Martius'' remained the first month of the Roman calendar year perhaps as late as 153 BC, and several religious observances in the first half of the month were originally new year's celebrations. Even in late antiquity, Roman mosaics picturing the months sometimes still placed March first. March 1 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 (the fiscal year in the UK continues to begin on 6 April, initially identical to 25 March in the former Julian calendar). Many other cultures, for example in Iran, or Ethiopia, still celebrate the beginning of the New Year in March. March is the first month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe, Asia and part of Africa) and the first month of fall or autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, part of Africa, and Oceania). Ancient Roman observances celebrated in March include

Agonium Martiale An Agonalia or Agonia was an obscure archaic religious observance celebrated in ancient Rome several times a year, in honor of various divinities. Its institution, like that of other religious rites and ceremonies, was attributed to Numa Pompil ...

, celebrated on March 1, March 14, and March 17, Matronalia, celebrated on March 1, Junonalia, celebrated on March 7,

Equirria The Equirria (also as ''Ecurria'', from ''*equicurria'', "horse races") were two ancient Roman festivals of chariot racing, or perhaps horseback racing, held in honor of the god Mars, one 27 February and the other 14 March. Site The Equirria to ...

, celebrated on March 14, Mamuralia, celebrated on either March 14 or March 15, Hilaria on March 15 and then through March 22–28,

Argei The rituals of the Argei were archaic religious observances in ancient Rome that took place on March 16 and March 17, and again on May 14 or May 15. By the time of Augustus, the meaning of these rituals had become obscure even to those who practi ...

, celebrated on March 16–17, Liberalia and Bacchanalia, celebrated March 17,

Quinquatria In ancient Roman religion, the Quinquatria or Quinquatrus was a festival sacred to the Goddess Minerva, celebrated from the 19–23 of March. The older festivals were of Etruscan origin and were to celebrate the Spring equinox, the spring rebirt ...

, celebrated March 19–23, and Tubilustrium, celebrated March 23. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Other names

In Finnish, the month is called ''maaliskuu'', which is believed to originate from ''maallinen kuu''. The latter means ''earthy month'' and may refer to the first appearance of "earth" from under the winter's snow. In Ukrainian, the month is called ''березень''/''berezenʹ'', meaning ''birch tree'', and březen in Czech. Historical names for March include the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

''Lentmonat'', named after the March equinox and gradual lengthening of days, and the eventual namesake of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. Saxons also called March ''Rhed-monat'' or ''Hreth-monath'' (deriving from their goddess ''Rhedam''/''Hreth''), and Angles called it ''Hyld-monath''. In Slovene, the traditional name is ''sušec'', meaning the month when the earth becomes dry enough so that it is possible to cultivate it. The name was first written in 1466 in the Škofja Loka manuscript. Other names were used too, for example ''brezen'' and ''breznik'', "the month of birches". The

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

word ''Mart'' is given after the name of '' Mars'' the god.

March symbols

* March's birthstones are aquamarine and

bloodstone Bloodstone may refer to: *Heliotrope (mineral) or bloodstone, a form of chalcedony Film * ''Bloodstone'' (1988 film), an Indian-American action/comedy film *'' Bloodstone: Subspecies II'', a 1993 horror film * Bloodstone: An Epic Dwarven Tale, ano ...

. These stones symbolize courage. * Its birth flower is the daffodil. * The zodiac signs for the month of March are Pisces until approximately March 20 and Aries from appproximately March 21 onward.. Signs in UT/GMT for 1950–2030.

Observances

''This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor general observance.''

Month-long

* In Catholic tradition, March is the Month of Saint Joseph. * Endometriosis Awareness Month ( International observance) * National Nutrition Month (Canada) * Season for Nonviolence: January 30 – April 4 ( International observance) * Women's History Month (Australia, United Kingdom, United States)

American

* Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month * Irish-American Heritage Month * Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month * Music in our Schools Month * National Athletic Training Month * National Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month * National Celery Month * National Frozen Food Month * National Kidney Month * National Nutrition Month * National Professional Social Work Month * National Reading Awareness Month * Youth Art Month

Non-Gregorian, 2020

''(All Baha'i, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)'' *

List of observances set by the Bahá'í calendar A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...

List of observances set by the Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese holidays are an essential part of harvests or prayer offerings. The most important Chinese holiday is the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), which is also celebrated in overseas ethnic Chinese communities (for example in ...

* List of observances set by the Hebrew calendar * List of observances set by the Islamic calendar * List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar

Movable, 2020

* List of movable Eastern Christian observances *

List of movable Western Christian observances {{Use mdy dates, date=July 2017 This is a list of movable observances within Western Christianity. It includes secular observances which are calculated by religious observances. ''This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor gen ...

National Corndog Day National Corndog Day is a celebration concerning basketball, the corn dog (A corn dog is usually a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter), Tater Tots, and American beer that occurs in March of every year on the first Saturday ...

( United States): March 21 * Equal Pay Day ( United States): March 31

First Sunday: March 1

* Children's Day ( New Zealand)

First week, March 1 to 7

Global Money Week ] Global Money Week (GMW) is a global money awareness celebration that takes place in March every year. It is coordinated by the Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) Secretariat to raise awareness on Economic Citizenship and directly eng ...

Week of March 8: March 8–14

Women of Aviation Worldwide Week Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week is a global aviation awareness week for girls of all ages observed to mark the anniversary of the world’s first female pilot licence (March 8, 1910). The week is a call to address gender imbalance in the air and ...

Monday closest to March 9, unless March 9 falls on a Saturday: March 9

* Baron Bliss Day (Belize)

Second Monday: March 9

* Canberra Day (

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

) *

Commonwealth Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch a ...

( Commonwealth of Nations)

Second Wednesday: March 11

* Decoration Day (Liberia) *

No Smoking Day No Smoking Day is an annual health awareness day in the United Kingdom which is intended to help smokers who want to quit smoking. The first ''No Smoking Day'' was on Ash Wednesday in 1984, and it now takes place on the second Wednesday in Mar ...

( United Kingdom)

Second Thursday: March 11

* World Kidney Day

Friday of the 13th of month: March 13

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

Friday of the second full week of March: March 13

World Sleep Day World Sleep Day (the Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox) is an annual event organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society, formerly World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), since 2008. The goal is to c ...

Third week in March: March 15–21

* National Poison Prevention Week ( United States)

Third Monday: March 16

* Birthday of Benito Juarez ( Mexico)

March 19th, unless the 19th is a Sunday, then March 20: March 19

* Feast of Joseph of Nazareth ( Western Christianity) ** Father's Day (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Honduras, and Bolivia) **

Las Fallas The Fallas ( ca-valencia, Falles; es, Fallas) is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic ...

, celebrated on the week leading to March 19. ( Valencia) ** "Return of the Swallow", annual observance of the

swallows The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

' return to

Mission San Juan Capistrano Mission San Juan Capistrano ( es, Misión San Juan Capistrano) is a Spanish mission in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, California. Founded November 1, 1776 in colonial ''Las Californias'' by Spanish Catholic missionaries of the Franciscan O ...

in California.

Third Wednesday: March 18

* National Festival of Trees ( Netherlands)

March equinox: March 20

* Nowruz, The Iranian new year. (Observed Internationally) * Chunfen ( East Asia) * Dísablót (some Asatru groups) * Earth Equinox Day * Equinox of the Gods/New Year ( Thelema) * Higan (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) *

International Astrology Day International Astrology Day (most often observed on either March 20 or March 21) was first asserted by the Association for Astrological Networking in 1993 and is an annual observance/holiday celebrated by astrologers and astrology enthusiasts. It ...

* Mabon ( Southern Hemisphere) ( Neo-paganism) * Ostara (

) ( Neo-paganism) *

Shunbun no Hi is a public holiday in Japan that occurs on the date of the Northward equinox in Japan Standard Time (the vernal equinox can occur on different dates in different time-zones), usually March 20 or 21. The date of the holiday is not officially d ...

(

) * Sigrblót ( The Troth) * Summer Finding (

Asatru Free Assembly The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) is a white supremacist international Ásatrú organization, founded by Stephen A. McNallen in 1994. Many of the assembly's doctrines, heavily criticized by most heathens, are based on ethnicity, an approach it cal ...

) *

Sun-Earth Day Sun-Earth Day is a joint educational program established in 2000 by NASA and ESA. The goal of the program is to popularize the knowledge about the Sun, and the way it influences life on Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and t ...

( United States) * Vernal Equinox Day/ Kōreisai (

) * World Storytelling Day

Fourth Monday: March 23

Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

( Christmas Island,

)

Fourth Tuesday: March 24

* American Diabetes Alert Day ( United States)

Last Saturday: March 28

Earth Hour Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ...

( International observance)

Last Sunday: March 29

European Summer Time Summer time in Europe is the variation of standard clock time that is applied in most European countries (apart from Iceland, Belarus, Turkey and Russia) in the period between spring and autumn, during which clocks are advanced by one hour from th ...

begins

Last Monday: March 30

Seward's Day Seward's Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. state of Alaska. This holiday falls on the last Monday in March and commemorates the signing of the Alaska Purchase treaty on March 30, 1867. It is named for then- Secretary of State William H. Seward, w ...

( Alaska, United States)

Fixed

* March 1 **

Baba Marta Baba Marta ( bg, Баба Марта, "Granny March") is the name of a Bulgarian mythical figure who brings with her the end of the cold winter and the beginning of the spring. Her holiday of the same name is celebrated in Bulgaria on March 1 with ...

( Bulgaria), ** Beer Day ( Iceland) ** Commemoration of Mustafa Barzani's Death ( Iraqi Kurdistan) ** Heroes' Day ( Paraguay) ** Independence Day (Bosnia and Herzegovina) ** Mărțișor ( Romania and Moldavia) ** National Peanut Butter Day ( United States) **

National Pig Day National Pig Day is an event held annually on March 1 in the United States to celebrate the pig. The holiday is most often celebrated in the Midwest of the US. The holiday celebration in the USA was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a tea ...

( United States) ** Remembrance Day (Marshall Islands) ** Saint David's Day ( Wales) ** Samiljeol ( South Korea) ** Self-injury Awareness Day ( International observance) **

World Civil Defence Day Lists of holidays by various categorizations. Religious holidays Abrahamic holidays (Middle Eastern) Jewish holidays *Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread – 7 days of consumption of matzo with wine and avoidance of leavened foods ...

* March 2 ** National Banana Creme Pie Day ( United States) **

National Reading Day The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

( United States) ** Omizu-okuri ("Water Carrying") Festival ( Obama,

) ** Peasant's Day (Burma) ** Texas Independence Day ( Texas, United States) ** Victory at Adwa Day (Ethiopia) * March 3 ** Hinamatsuri (

) ** Liberation Day (Bulgaria) ** Martyr's Day (Malawi) ** Mother's Day (Georgia) ** National Canadian Bacon Day ( United States) ** Sportsmen's Day (Egypt) ** What if Cats & Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day ** World Wildlife Day * March 4 ** National Grammar Day ( United States) ** St Casimir's Day ( Poland and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

) *

March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...

Custom Chief's Day Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

( Vanuatu) ** Day of Physical Culture and Sport ( Azerbaijan) **

Learn from Lei Feng Day Lei Feng (18 December 194015 August 1962) was allegedly a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major Propaganda in China, propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

) ** National Absinthe Day ( United States) ** National Cheez Doodle Day ( United States) **

St Piran's Day Saint Piran's Day ( kw, Gool Peran), or the Feast of Saint Piran, is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5 March every year. The day is named after one of the patron saints of Cornwall, Saint Piran, who is also the patron saint of tin miners. ...

( Cornwall) * March 6 **

European Day of the Righteous The European Day of the Righteous is a celebration established in 2012 by the European Parliament to commemorate those who have stood up against crimes against humanity and totalitarism with their own moral responsibility. By this celebration th ...

() **

Foundation Day (Norfolk Island) Foundation Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the founding of a nation, state or a creation of a military unit. This day is for countries that came into existence without the of gaining independence. The term overlaps with nation ...

** Independence Day (Ghana) *

March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...

Liberation of Sulaymaniyah This is a list of public holidays in Iraq. Other important dates These are working days at the KRG Council of Ministers, and businesses are open. Special events take place around the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to mark these dates. *10 February: Ku ...

( Ira