History of Each Month: March

Our calendar has the names of 12 months and although we may vaguely know of the name's origin, there is a rich history behind the name chosen for each month. This will be a series, each focusing on the current month. The source for the information I share is from The Stories of the Months and the Days, by Reginald C. Couzens, 1923. Here is some of what he wrote about March:

"This month, originally the first in the year, is named after Mars, the God of War. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, the king and queen of the gods, and was generally represented in a shining suit of armour, with a plumed helmet on his head, a spear in one hand, and a shield in the other. His chariot was driven by the Goddess of War, Bellona, who also watched over his safety in battle; for the gods often took part in the battles which were constantly raging on the earth.

The training-ground of the Roman soldiers was called Campus Martius (the Field of Mars), in honour of the God of War, and it was commonly believed that Mars himself led their army into battle and helped to give them the victory. March was named after Mars because of its rough and boisterous weather, and we find the same idea in the minds of the Angles and Saxons, who called it Hlythmonath--the loud or stormy month. Another name for it was Lenctenmonath, the lengthening month, because it is during March that the days rapidly become longer."

We will be doing 1 ATC for 1 partner. It can be any media, it can be literal or figurative. You can certainly do more research if you wish, or simply draw from what is quoted here. Your ATCs just need to reflect in some manner the history behind the name of March. SInce we are a dedicated private group, I don't need to go into the details of a good swap.

Have fun with it!