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March is the thirdmonth of theyear in theJulian andGregorian calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31days.
March in theSouthern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent ofSeptember in theNorthern Hemisphere.
The name of March comes fromancient Rome, when March was the first month of the year and calledMartius afterMars, theRoman god of war. InRome, where the climate isMediterranean, March is the first month ofspring, a logical point for thebeginning of the year as well as the start of themilitary campaign season. The numbered year began onMarch 1 inRussia until the end of the fifteenth century.Great Britain and her colonies continued to useMarch 25 until 1752, the same year they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. Many other cultures and religions still celebrate the beginning of theNew Year in March.
InFinnish, the month is calledmaaliskuu, which originates frommaallinen kuu meaningearthy month. This is because in maaliskuu earth started to show from under the snow. Historical names for March includeSaxon:Lenctmonat, named for theequinox and eventual lengthening of days and the eventual namesake ofw:Lent.Saxons also called MarchRhed-monat orHreth-monath (for their goddessw:Rhedam/w:Hreth), andw:Angles called itHyld-monath
