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Show MARCH FIRST MONTH OF YEAR Was So Placed in Roman Calendar and Continued Until Comparatively Recent Times. March was the first month in the Roman year, and since the Romans were a warlike people, they honored Mars, the god of war, by naming the first month Martius. It was the first month in many parts of Europe until a comparatively recent date, even In England the year beginning March 26 until 1752. The Saxons called it Lenet Monat length month because in March, the days become noticeably longer, and this was the origin of the name "Lent." The English have a proverb, "A peck of March dust is worth a king's ran-some," ran-some," and another, "A dry March never begs Its bread," which express their faith in the belief that a dry March means a prosperous year. This is explained by the fact that they do most of their planting in March, and unless the soil is dry, planting often is delayed. It's different in America. In the middle mid-dle West., more rain falls In March than in April ordinarily and almost as much in March as in May. Almost universally in the North Temperate zone, March is regarded as the windy month. Normally it marks the transition from winter to spring. |