March Madness!

March 1, 2023, 6:58 p.m. by Karuwaki Speaks ( 229 views)

Today is the first day of March and I smile as it's a special month for me.
I was born on 13th March and am amused when people cringe at the number thirteen(it also was a Friday!) It adds a bit of mystery, magic and drama which we Pisces surround ourselves with. I read happily that Pisces are emotionally brilliant, creative, and their imaginative powers are unparalleled in the zodiac. The visionary fish have unlimited access to the collective unconscious through their clairvoyance and make incredible artists, invigorated by shared experiences of music and romance.

But my sister, who is a  forceful Scorpion gets impatient when I keep changing my mind a hundred times and take impetuous decisions causing her acute distress. Ma could never make me understand the logic and would pull her hair in despair.

With the good comes the bad and on the 1st of March I had a silly accident that resulted in a complicated ankle fracture. I lost both my parents in March, always reminding me of the circle of life with birth and death encircling each other." That which is alive hath known death, and that which is dead can never die, for in the Circle of the Spirit life is naught and death is naught".

The meaning of March comes from ancient Rome "martius mensis" named after the Roman God of war. March used to be the first month of the year in the early Roman calendar. Sometime in  700 BCE, the Roman king Numa Pompilius introduced January and February into the calendar, pushing March to the third position.

It seems strange, as I wouldn’t associate March with war and conflict. Although, I will admit sometimes the seasons appear to be at odds with one another due to climate change.

For me, its the beginning of spring, as March brings the vernal equinox with flowers budding and stuff growing in abundance. In India, Vasant ritu is known as nature's youth and the king of all seasons. It is the season of new birth and new beginnings with plants and trees blooming with flowers and green leaves which makes Earth beautiful and charming.

Daffodils bloom and William Wordsworth's famous poem comes to my mind. There is a sense of expectation in the air as the festival of  Holi brings in a myriad of colours.

March is still the first month of the year for at least one billion people:

In India, the new year in the Hindu calendar starts on the New Moon before the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries (Meṣa)—on or around the day of the March equinox. Every year, the Kohinoor Press Panjika in Odisha is printed and sent to the Jagannath temple and after certain rituals are completed, the Mukti Mandap certifies it before it is released for sale to the public.

The Persian new year, Novroz is celebrated on March 21, around the world—from Iran and the Middle East to the Balkans, the Black Sea, and Central and South Asia.

The orthodox Jewish calendar starts the new year with the month of Nisan, which mostly falls in March.
Neil Gaiman the author said:
"By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again".

Awareness days and observances are a great time to create focus on a specific issue, to fundraise, spread the word or reach out to friends, and family.
Some of the causes I wholeheartedly believe in being celebrated in March  including Women's History Month, National Reading Month, Disability Awareness Month,
International women's day, Happiness day, World Wildlife Day, World Water Day, Poetry, Sparrow and the fun  Pi day.
Whether you’re a math geek or just love puns, enjoy   Pi Day, the holiday dedicated to celebrating the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter (approximately 3.14) is held on 3/14, or March 14th.

So, for me, March is always special as it shows us how beautiful beginnings can be, with spring bringing joy, happiness and warmth to our lives. As someone said
"March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.”
Amongst all the lovely march quotes my favourite is from
the classic 'Great expectations:
"When the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
So enjoy the March madness but beware of the ides of March!