My grandmother used to refer to the month of March as Pazzo translated “crazy.” It was and continues to be the perfect way to describe the month. March is full of paradoxes, opposites and contradictions; in a sense it does not know if it is coming or going. March’s craziness can be seen in the following examples. March contains the season of winter as well as spring. The spring equinox is on 3/20/25 this year. We can have a day of spring and high temperatures then the next day wake up to sleet or snow. In March we begin standard time and moves to daylight savings time which is always the second Sunday in March. This year it is March 9. Darkness and light contained in one month.

There is a contrast between celebration and reflection. March 4 is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday and March 5 begins the 40 days of Lent where Christians pray, fast and give alms, re-evaluating their relationship with Christ.

Ramadan begins February 28 and continues the entire month of March and culminates in Eid celebrated March 29 through March 31. Eid is a celebration of feasting and family, whereas Ramadan is a month of prayer and fasting. During the penitential season of Lent, when Christians contemplate the state of their souls and how to grow closer to Christ through prayer, fasting and alms giving, these are two feasts. Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17 when everyone is Irish. Corn beef and cabbage, Guinness, and Irish soda bread is the food of the day celebrating Irish culture and Saint Patrick who converted Ireland. St. Patrick is whom and who we have thank for the elevation of Shamrock as the symbol of Ireland. The shamrock also symbolizes good luck. We can all use the luck of the Irish.

Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaf clover to represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three distinct persons yet all one plant. The three leaves of the clover also represents faith, hope and love, the theological virtues.

Two days after Saint Patrick’s Day on March 19 is Saint Joseph’s Day, a day of pasta, family, and celebration. If either Saint Patrick’s day or st joseph’s day fall on a Friday when Christians observe as a day for fasting a dispensation from this Lenten practice so we can enjoy the food and desert. I so look forward to the decadent pastry treats of sfingi (from Sicily) and zepole (from Naples) made in honor of Saint Joseph’s feast day. Saint Joseph for Italians especially, and Catholics represents a dedication to family, fatherhood, the dignity of work and obedience to God.

Who cannot think of William Shakespeare and the Ides of March, the ominous warning of Ceasar’s assassination on the 15th of the month. The word Ides means to divide and it is aptly named for a month so full of opposites, shadows and contradictions.

Here are some more fun and interesting facts about March:

The Worm Moon which is March’s full moon, reaches peak illumination on March 14. This year there will be a lunar eclipse when the earth and the moon will appear larger than it is with a red hue. An eclipse is when the earth, Moon and Sun align casting the Moon’s shadow on Earth. The eclipse will be visible in North America and it will enter the penumbra, the lighter shadow, on 11:56 p.m. and the umbra, the darker shadow, leading to the eclipse will appear at 1:09 a.m. on March 14.

March’s birth flower is the daffodil and jonquil and signifies unrequited love.

March’s birthstone is aquamarine thought to be able to calm the seas and one’s soul.

Enjoy and celebrate the month of March and all it has to offer.