1st – St David’s Day
This day in March is celebrated in Wales of course, as he is the Patron Saint of the country, but also in the UK, USA and Canada. David lived until he was 100 years old, but it was 500 years later before he was memorialised in texts of the time. His story may be a mix of fact and legend, but many believe that he founded churches and a monastery and rose through the church to be an archbishop, and eventually he was canonised.
1st – Pancake Day
This year, the 1st is also Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday follows on the 2nd. From here you can work out Easter, as Easter Sunday falls 47 days after Shrove Tuesday! Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, so Strove Tuesday was originally a feasting day. Pancakes were derived from using things up that couldn’t be consumed during Lent. Now, many people choose to still give up something for Lent, as a symbolic gesture. Choosing something that you really miss, be it wine, chocolate, video games or something else entirely only adds to the meaning.
17th – St Patrick’s Day
St Patrick is widely celebrated around the globe, the 17th March is a fixed date, as it was the day he passed away. His history goes all the way back to the fifth century, in Roman Britain, where he ministered to Christianity. He was eventually captured by Irish Raiders, and enslaved – thankfully he was eventually returned to his family and the church, where he ended his days as a missionary. Irish symbols like shamrock and green feature heavily in celebrating this day.
Later in the month of March:
20th – March Equinox
The March Equinox is sometimes called the Vernal Equinox or just simply Spring Equinox, its name referring to an equal day and night and a midpoint between winter and summer. For most of us it represents longer amounts of sunshine and a welcoming in of better weather, spring lambs, flowers in the garden and more… It literally represents a time of fertility, new life and hope springing eternal!
27th – Mother’s Day
Just like Easter, Mother’s Day is not fixed in the calendar, instead it falls on the middle Sunday of Lent. The day has a long history of association with food, from children baking Simnel cake and returning home to present the offering to their mother’s. To Mid-Lent Sunday, or Refreshment Sunday, when it was thought that fasting rules of Lent were relaxed in honour of the Bible story – feeding the five thousand. Nowadays, it is simply a day where we honour our Mum’s, or those in our lives that play a mum like role.
27th – March – Clocks Go Forward
On Sunday the 27th March 2022 at 1am clocks go forward by one hour to create daylight saving time. So, don’t forget to change your alarm and clocks and Spring Forward into a new season!
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