Colorful Spring Garden Photo:Anita Martinz(Flickr)
The March Equinox marks the moment where the Sun crosses the equator (an imaginary line in the sky above the equator) from south to north and usually occurs between March 19-21 every year. Both the March and September equinoxes are when the Sun shines directly on the equator making night and day nearly equal. This equinox is the transition from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere but the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere (summer into fall). Various cultures celebrate March equinox as a time of rebirth. Many spring festivals are timed to coincide with the equinox, and some religious events (Passover and Easter) use specific calculations based on the equinox to help determine the exact day of the event.
A sure sign spring is here is when lambs appear. Spring Lamb In The Sunshine Photo: Tanya Hall/publicdomainpictures.net
Meteorologists however start spring on March 1 rather than by the March Equinox. The reason is that they divide the year into four quarters to make it easier to compare data and compile statistics. Meteorological seasons use annual temperature cycles rather than the position of the Sun. While astronomers follow the position of the Sun regarding equinoxes and solstices, meteorologists use the calendar to prevent problems since the dates of equinoxes and solstices can vary each year.
Early spring is when the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the Sun resulting in more daylight for that part world where it spring is occurring. It is a time when the increased warmth results in more plant growth (spring forth as it used to be said and how spring got its name). The resulting warmth also makes snow melt causing streams to swell and frosts to diminish. For areas that get little or no snow, ground temperatures will increase quickly as well. Despite spring beginning in March, in areas where there is no snow early plant growth can begin as early as February (or August down below). Arctic zones may not experience spring until May.
Solstices and Equinoxes Image: NASA
Due to the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, Easter is celebrated in Autumn. The Allhallowtide (Halloween, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day) is celebrated in Spring.
Despite the change of the seasons–both calendar and meteorologically speaking–winter does continue in many places. And with it can come unpredictable weather which my favorite feline Garfield illustrates it perfectly. Garfield is outside. First it is warm and sunny. Then cold and rainy. Then back to warm and sunny. And then rain again and then another dry day. Finally, Garfield yells in exasperation “Will you make up your mind?” The next frame is split with one half having rain and the other half sunny. And it is more accurate than most of us want to believe.
There are two sayings that get the season right, courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle south breezes they bring.
The Death of Julius Caesar,Vincenzo Camuccini (1771–1844). Public Domain
The assassination of Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC shocked Rome. The conspirators believed the Roman Republic would be restored. Instead, civil war followed, and the Roman Empire became firmly established.
In ancient Rome the Ides of March were part of a series of days of three grouped by the ancient Romans. The ides occurred on the fifteenth of March, May, July, and October and in other months started on the thirteenth day. Since the early Romans used a lunar calendar, sometimes the ides might be a time of foreboding and omens. However, since March was the beginning of the new year on the old Roman calendar, there were festivals to welcome the new year. On this Ide, Jupiter (Greek Zeus) and other deities were being honored. However, this time of festivity in March would be forever changed by the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Caesar had created enemies over his actions. He defied the senate in 49 BC by crossing the Rubicon without disbanding his army sparking a civil war he decisively won. He assumed the office of dictatorship at first just annually then for life. While he did many noteworthy things such as providing land for veterans and overseeing the creation of a new calendar (the Julian), his centralization of power undermined republican institutions. Proclaiming himself perpetual dictator and accepting king like honors upset many in the senate. The leaders of the plot to kill him were Marcus Juinius Brutus and Gaius Cassius, but sixty senators in total were in support.
According to Plutarch, Caesar was warned of his death by a soothsayer. Shakespeare in his famous play Julius Caesarused this by having his soothsayer utter: “beware the ides of March.” Caesar went to attend a meeting of senators at the Curia of Pompey within the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. After he entered, he was ambushed. Marc Antony, who was going to enter behind him, was delayed by another conspirator and thus was not there to prevent the assassination. One of the first attackers only wounder Caesar, who took the knife and stabbed him. However, the other attackers thrust their daggers into him stabbing 23 times though not all wounding him. He would end dying under the Pompey statue. His last words are disputed, but Suetonious reports he said to Brutus “You to, child?” Shakespeare rewrote that into the famous “Et tu, Brute.”
Rome was stunned by the assassination. The conspirators thought they would he hailed as heroes for killing the tyrant Caesar. Instead, they were treated coldly, and few places would let them in. Caesar’s body would be taken home by his slaves where it was prepared for funeral. At the funeral, Marc Antony gave a eulogy that stirred the people against Brutus and the other conspirators. Caesar’s death created a power vacuum in Rome and various factions now jostled for power. Brutus and Cassius fled, each to different places to recruit supporters for the coming confrontation. Gaius Octavius, Caesar’s 18-year-old grand-nephew and designated heir under the will, came into conflict with Marc Antony over who was to rule.
Aftermath
Civil war between Octavius and Antony gave both Brutus and Cassius the opportunity to attack Rome. However, both Octavius and Antony made peace and turned their full armies against them. At the Battle of Phillippi on 3 October 42 BC, Brutus defeated Octavius forces, but Antony defeated Cassius. Cassius, assuming Brutus was dead, killed himself. The second battle on 23 October resulted in Brutus’ defeat and him fleeing to the hills where he killed himself. Antony treated his body with respect wrapping in expensive purple mantle. However, Octavius had his head cut off to be taken and displayed in Rome. It would never arrive as the box it was in fell into the Mediterranean Sea during a storm on the way to Rome. His body was cremated and remains sent to his mother. None of the other conspirators would survive. Senators who had participated, knew of the plot, and others who had assisted, were tracked down and executed. While some were able to flee to distant lands, they were eventually tracked down and killed, sometimes by bounty hunters.
Instead of restoring the republic, the assassination achieved the opposite. Rome became an empire with power centralized into one person and the offices that answered to him. The Senate would continue to exist to pass laws but could not overrule him. The Praetorian Guard was created to protect an emperor from being assassinated. The Roman Empire expanded and the entire Mediterranean came under Roman rule. Rome became not just a city, but the name for the world that was ruled by it.
The kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby would shock the nation and bring heartbreak to the Lindbergh family.
Lindbergh Child Poster 1932 Public Domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne lived in a house in Hopewell, New Jersey. Around 9:00 pm on 1 March 1932, the kidnapper or kidnappers climbed a ladder into the second-story nursery, abducted the child, and left a ransom note of $50,000. Betty Gow, the child’s nurse, reported him missing to the parents. The Hopewell police were notified and later the New Jersey State Police who took over the investigation. The search found the ransom note, muddy footprints in the nursery, and a ladder some distance from the home. Footprints from the ladder led into the woods at the edge of the property. No blood or fingerprints were found in the nursery.
Investigators interviewed everyone who worked in the house and for Lindbergh. Lindbergh made appeals for the kidnappers to contact him. Attempts to use underworld figures to facilitate contact or turn up leads failed. A second ransom note was received by Lindbergh on 6 March 1932 demanding a ransom of $70,000 resulting in high level conference with state leaders, police, prosecutors, and federal representatives. Lindbergh’s attorney, Colonel Henry Breckenridge, employed private investigators. A third ransom note was received by Breckenridge on 8 March 1932 stating that an intermediary selected by Lindbergh was not acceptable. Retired school principal John Condon published in the “Bronx Home News” that we act as go-between and would pay an additional $1,000 ransom.
The kidnappers responded to Condon accepting his offer. Condon used newspaper columns under the name of Jafsie to send messages. The kidnappers responded with leaving secret written messages at locations in New York City. Additionally, the kidnappers sent the child’s sleeping suit as proof of identity. On 2 April 1932, a meet was set up to deliver the ransom with Lindbergh nearby. Condon talked with someone called John. He accepted $50,000 (the original amount) saying the baby was on boat named Nelly at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The search in Martha’s Vineyard turned up nothing. “John” was paid in gold certificates whose serial numbers were recorded. Condon was certain he would recognize “John” if seen again.
Evening Star. (Washington, DC), May. 12 1932. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83045462/1932-05-12/ed-2/. Public Domain
The accidental discovery of a baby found partly buried and badly decomposed four and half miles southeast of the Lindbergh home on 12 May 1932 ended all hopes the baby was alive. Injuries sustained to its head indicated the child had died during the abduction. Death was caused by a blow to the head and had been dead for two months. The body was positively identified as the Lindbergh baby and was later cremated. The Lindbergh’s, deeply saddened by the whole affair, left the area and donated the house to a charity. Investigators rechecked everyone connected with Lindbergh and John Condon finding nothing. National outrage over the kidnapping resulted in President Roosevelt directed the U.S. Bureau of Investigation (renamed later to Federal Bureau of Investigation) to investigate. The Federal Kidnapping Act was passed by Congress on 12 June 1932. Known as the Lindbergh Law, it made kidnapping across state lines a federal offense and those convicted facing the death penalty.
Aftermath
President Roosevelt directed the FBI, and all federal investigative agencies assist the State of New Jersey, with the FBI being the clearinghouse for information. Alerts went out to watch for any of the ransom money being used at New York banks. A $25,000 reward was offered by the New Jersey State Police for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper(s). The reward notice was sent out nationally but nothing would occur. Unfortunately this also led to a lot of fraudulent claims but both New Jersey and the FBI continued following every lead they had. Some ransom gold certificates started showing in commercial bank deposits but they were still unable to locate the person or persons using them. Then the FBI got a major break. One of the gold certificates was used at a gas station in New York City. The attendant was suspicious of the man using the gold certificate and recorded the license number.
It was traced to a Bronx residence who matched the description of John who Condon had met with. On 10 Sept 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested and a $20 gold certificate from the ransom payment was found on him. More gold certificates would be found, and his penmanship was like what the kidnapper(s) used. Hauptmann claimed he was holding the money for Isidore Fisch, who had returned to Germany and had died. Hauptmann was indicted for murder on 8 Oct 1934. He went on trial in January 1935. This “trial of the century” was mostly circumstantial rather than direct evidence. Condon’s telephone number though was found on a closet door frame and Lindbergh recognized his voice as the one heard the night of the ransom payment. Hauptmann took the stand in his defense claiming he was innocent. He claimed he was beaten by the police and forced to give handwriting samples. He was found guilty on 13 February 1935. His legal appeals, including to the U.S. Supreme Court were rejected. He was executed on 3 April 1936.
There have been many books over the years that dispute the fingerprints, the police methods and the investigation claiming he was at best innocent or worse framed for the crime. Some have argued that Lindbergh himself was responsible though the outcome of the dead infant was unplanned. Others have sifted through all the evidence and found the evidence compelling enough to warrant the conviction. The strongest support of that is he fit the description that Condon gave, and Lindbergh recognized his voice.
Alternative History: The Plot Against America
A more fantastic idea comes from the alternative history novel The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth. In this book, Lindbergh becomes president in 1940 instead of Franklin Roosevelt. As president, he signs peace accords with both Nazi Germany and Japan keeping the U.S. out of the war during his time in office. He also enacts policies against the Jews and other things that start moving America more towards a fascist state. After his presidency ends (he flies off and disappears never to be seen again), it is revealed that the Germans had organized the kidnapping and brought his child to Germany. They used this as leverage to compel Lindbergh to enact policies in line with the Nazi’s. At the same time, it was spread that Jew’s were responsible for the kidnapping encouraging antisemitism in America.
However, Lindbergh was not as keen in doing what they wanted (about the Jews in particular) and resisted. His vice president though was in tune with implementing the more radical policies they favored. It is not clear what really happened to Lindbergh. Was his plane brought down by engine failure, did he deliberately crash his plane, or did the Nazi’s have something to do with it? His disappearance allowed the vice president to take control and operate more like an authoritarian leader the Nazi’s would approve of lending credence to this theory. It fell apart thanks to Lindbergh’s wife taking to the radio and asking for it to stop. It does and ultimately Roosevelt would be president in the next election ending the Nazi plot.
“Hail illustrious pontiff, pastor of Hibernia’s flock! O Patrick! holy bishop! the guardian of our people! pray for us daily to the King of glory!” Image: True Restoration via Pinterest.com
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and known for bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was born in 390 A.D in Britain and raised by a Christian family. However, he was not much interested in God and at the time was illiterate. When he was 16, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland where he was forced to work as a shepherd on a hillside. All alone except for his sheep and captors. he began to cry out to God for rescue him. He had a dream in which God revealed himself and that he would be going home.
Risking his life, he boarded a ship for Britain where he returned to his family. He was welcomed back but realized that he had been transformed by God. He entered a monastery to pursue his calling as a Catholic priest. As a result of his education, he came to understand Holy Scripture and impressed his peers and superiors with his character. He would be made a bishop in due course. Nearly three decades after this slavery in Ireland, he felt a call from God that he had to return to Ireland and spread the word of Jesus to a people who had become lost. This was no easy journey for him since travel was difficult but he faced hostility from those who opposed him trying to convert people away from paganism. Patrick was ready though to face the trials that might take his life (he was attacked and beaten by thugs and Irish royalty disdained him) and persevered in proclaiming the Gospel and training converts.
His courageous leadership and his crisscrossing the countryside paid off as thousands and more would be converted. Churches were being established and he was training those to shepherd the church after he was gone. He would die on March 17, 461 A.D. He has been venerated as a saint and patron saint of Ireland since then by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches.
St. Patrick’s Day postcard, 1912 of “Old Weir Bridge” at Dinis Cottage, in Killarney National Park, Ireland. Public Domain/Wikipedia
In Ireland it is a solemnity and thus a holy day of obligation. It is also a cultural day as well to celebrate Ireland. Traditionally many in Ireland will wear shamrocks, wear green, attend Mass, watch parades, have a special breakfast and dinner, and of course celebrate by having a beer in their favorite pub (or outside due to the crowds). It has been a public holiday in Ireland since 1903. Since the feast does fall within Lent and is a solemnity in Ireland, it is permissible to eat foods normally excluded during this time (or any food you have selected to give up). Outside of Ireland though, it is not and local bishops will offer guidance. Usually, the bishop will allow those who wish to celebrate to be excused from Friday obligation of fasting but may require you to fast on a different day in the week or the following one.
Fun Fact
Many people associate Corned Beef and Cabbage as an Irish dish for St. Patrick’s Day (please do not say St. Paddy’s Day!). However, it is not an Irish dish but an Irish American one. In Ireland of the past, land was precious due to the English seizing lots of it for themselves (and putting many Irish people into indentured servitude in the American Colonies). So, people did not have lots of land needed for cows to graze on (you might have a cow for milk but that would be it). Pigs became popular because they require no grazing, can be easily penned, and thus cheaper to keep. So, while possibly in the far past they used beef, pork became the preferred meat for many meals and especially for St. Patrick’s Day. When Irish migrated to the United States much later (due to the famine), they discovered corned beef when they saw it being used in Jewish delicatessens. So, like dumping turnips for the American pumpkin for the Jack o’ Lantern, corned beef became popular amongst many Irish people since it was easily available unlike in Ireland. And thus, was born the now popular Corned Beef and Cabbage amongst Irish Americans.
In Ireland, Paddy’s Day (as it is called there), corned beef and cabbage is rarely eaten (except in places that cater the American crowd). Most will have the Irish Fry (bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes, black pudding, and brown soda bread). Tea is incredibly popular in Ireland so it will be at every meal as well. Additionally, scones will be served during the day. For dinner it is often a beef pot roast (roast met with mashed potatoes, peas, carrots and gray). Another popular meal might be Irish bangers and mash as well. Apple tarts or other treats will be served as well. There are many regional variations as well.
The Minstrel Boy
Probably one of the most favored Irish tunes is The Minstrel Boy. Here is a version from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Wounded. Following it is a more traditional version. Finally, there is a version from the American Civil War. Additional lyrics were added to it in the version popular in the Union Army.
[This has been updated from 2025 with a minor rewrite, updating source material, and adding a new video on the tragedy.]
During World War II one of the deadliest train disasters occurred in Italy when around 500-650 people suffocated to death.
Balvano station master points the direction by which the train left. The tunnel shown is not the Armi tunnel, which is two kilometers further. 3 March 1944, Unknown Author Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Freight train 8017 began its journey on 2 March 1944 departing Naples for Portenza arriving at the Battipaglia station after 6 pm. Although a freight train both civilians and military personnel commonly hopped aboard. It then continued till it reached Balvano, the last train stop between the two long tunnels in the Apennines Mountains, it had 650 people aboard. It reached the stop near midnight and had to stop for maintenance
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At ten minutes to 1 am, the train began its ascent into the Galleria delle Amri. The tunnel was poorly ventilated with 1.3% grade. Not long after entering the tunnel the train came to complete stop for 30 minutes. The exact reasons are still unclear. Either the train could not pull the overloaded freight cars, or it was waiting for another train to exit from the opposite direction. Some argue that humidity had caused the train wheels to slip, and sandboxes were not helping.
Due to wartime restrictions, the train was using low grade coal resulting in excess amounts odorless carbon monoxide that filled the tunnel. The train driver tried reversing but fainted before this could be done. Complicating this was the two-locomotive setup and neither could communicate with the other due to differing locomotive models. The other driver was trying to push the train forward. A brakeman walked back to Balvano getting there around 5:10 am and a locomotive was quickly dispatched. By the time it arrived, it was too late. Passengers fleeing the rail cars for better air suffocated to death in the tunnel. Only 40 people in the last freight cars were found alive. The only train crew to survive were the brakeman and fireman from the second locomotive. The train was brought back to Balvano and the grim task of removing the bodies had begun.
Some of the corpses taken from the Italian passenger train that stalled in tunnel. 5 March 1944, Author Unknown. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Both the US and Italians kept the disaster out of the news and a commission established to determine the cause blamed it on low quality coal and on railroad personnel allowing stowaways. The railroad company, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, declined all responsibility due to wartime restrictions and agreements between Italy and the U.S. Fifteen years later after considerable criticism, the Italian government would issue compensation to those identified as stowaways.
Changes were made to the running of trains: restrictions on freight tonnage and initially using both steam and diesel locomotives until steam locomotives were banned. The line was eventually electrified, and no such disaster has occurred again. Except for the train crew that were given proper graves, most of the stowaways were buried in four mass graves in the Balvano cemetery. The disaster showed how a combination of factors– poor ventilation, lack of communication between train drivers, overloaded freight trains, poor quality coal, and allowing stowaways–all contributed to one of the largest train disasters in history.
Bruno, Antonio. “The Tragedy of the Balvano Train Disaster. – TerreDaMare.” TerreDaMare. Last modified June 12, 2022. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://terredamare.com/comuni/balvano.
March, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a book of prayers to be said at canonical hours. Manuscript illumination from Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Folio 3, verso: March. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Welcome to March! March, named for the Roman deity Mars (Greek Ares), is the third month. It begins spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Since military campaigns would start once winter ended, the Romans considered it appropriate to name the month after the god of war. Festivals honoring him and seeking his blessing were held in ancient Rome.
On the meteorological calendar, March 1 marks the start of spring (or autumn in the Southern Hemisphere), but astronomically it begins with the March equinox. This falls between March 19 and 21, when the Sun shines directly on the equator, making night and day almost equal in length. The March equinox is celebrated as a time of rebirth, with new plants emerging—leading to the phrase “spring forth,” now simply “spring.” Increased warmth causes snowmelt, swelling rivers and replenishing water supplies for people and nature. Areas with little or no snow may see spring up to a month earlier, while far northern regions may not experience it until May.
George Hodan (publicdomainpictures.net)
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is one of the most popular celebrations in March. As the patron saint of Ireland, it is a public holiday there but nowhere else. Easter and Passover may also fall in March some years due to complex, varying calculations. For Christians, March often includes Lent: forty days of fasting, penance, and charity in preparation for Easter Sunday.
Beware the Ides of March!
The Death of Julius Caesar,Vincenzo Camuccini (1771–1844). Public Domain
The Ides were one of three fixed days in the ancient Roman calendar. They fell on the 15th in March, May, July, and October, and on the 13th in other months. Because the early Romans used a lunar calendar, the Ides could sometimes carry foreboding omens. However, since March marked the start of the new year in the old Roman calendar, it was generally festive—until March 15, 44 BC, when Julius Caesar was assassinated. The event transformed the Ides of March into a symbol of danger and betrayal, leading to Caesar’s death, retribution against his killers, and the rise of the Roman Empire. Thereafter, “Beware the Ides of March” became a warning of impending misfortune.
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the soothsayer famously warns:
Soothsayer: Beware the Ides of March.
Caesar: What man is that?
Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the Ides of March.
Though the phrase may have existed earlier, Shakespeare popularized it, embedding it in educated speech and broader culture. Its use has faded as fewer schools require Shakespeare, often met with blank stares today. Still, as the Ides of March approach, the warning occasionally resurfaces to recall Caesar’s assassination.
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