Monday 2 March 2020

March: Country Days and Country Ways

With the exceptionally wet weather we've had through the winter perhaps March, the first month of meteorological spring will be better  - it has to be- surely?.
Astronomically spring starts at the  Vernal equinox on the 20th.

Below is a March double page from Edith Holden's Diary of an Edwardian Lady .

 In the Roman calendar March,or Martius, was the first month of a new year. The month was named after Mars, the god of war and the guardian of agriculture. March was the month when both farming and warfare could begin again after winter.

The Saxons called it Lentmonat, or lengthening month, because of the equinox and lengthening of days and this is the origin of the word Lent. By the end of the month there will be two extra hours of daylight and we change clocks to BST on the 29th.

The March full moon on the 9th was known as the plough moon, wind moon or Lentern moon.

The 21st is St Benedicts Day and has this old prophesy ..............

Whatever the weather on 21st that weather will stay until 21st June

There are many other weather sayings,  the best known is


March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.

Also.....................March month of many weathers

Dry days are precious to get seeds sown.................A peck of dust in March is worth a king's ransom

And on the same theme.................A dry March never begs it's bread 


I hope there is  a morning when, like Robert Browning we can say

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearl'd;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!


Back Tomorrow
Sue

12 comments:

  1. 2 years ago we had loads of snow in south Hampshire, I always think for us March is the winter month, often colder. We are lucky and miss most of the winter weather, but Spring for me is April.

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  2. We had the Beast from the East this time last year, and back in Wales we were deep in snow … so surely things will be better this year.

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  3. I like "March month of many weathers." Very true here. -Jenn

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  4. Very true about the many weathers of the month. Here in Canada we usually say April showers bring May flowers. Probably because March we are still under ice and snow.

    God bless.

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  5. If only that Browning poem would come to fruition

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  6. It is always so interesting to read your notes about a new month, and special days. Lovely photo from the book!

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  7. Oh dear...I hope no wars start around here. x

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  8. I love seeing the pages of the Diary of an Edwardian Lady. They are such lovely drawings. March is usually an interesting month with it's promise of Spring despite the knowledge that Winter may not yet be done with us.

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  9. Of course down on the underside of the world we're hoping for a mild autumn. It's my favorite season with hopefully lovely days and cool snuggle nights��

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  10. Love this folklore stuff. years ago my mother gave me a copy of the Diary of an Edwardian Lady. I still have it somewhere. One of my favorites.

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  11. A friend commented only yesterday that she remembered snow at a funeral she went to a couple of years ago in March and hoped that this year it wouldn't be the same. Holding onto a bit of sunshine hope for this month after the wet of February.

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  12. I love that book. I'm so glad you shared it.

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