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March is named for Mars, the god of war. As you might expect, it’s an action-packed month and has been for a very long time. The ancient Romans had so many celebrations in this month that they finally had to set aside one day out of the month in order to rest from all the festivities! Then as now, most days boast more than one event. The following is just a small sampling of the many, many celebrations crammed into this 31 days!

Just a sampling of the many, many holidays crammed into the merry month of March.

Traditionally March starts off with a bang by “coming in like a lion”!  It gets off to a tasty start too, with National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on the first. (And I know my husband’s going to ask for his favorite peanut butter cookies as soon as he reads this, LOL)

March 3rd is “What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day”! Whomever invented it likely did so for fun, but frankly, the thought of my two pugs with thumbs terrifies me – they’d take over the world in a matter of days!

Frozen foods made their first appearance in grocery stores in 1930. March 6th gives fans a chance to celebrate with National Frozen Food Day. (I’m celebrating with Ben and Jerry!)

Be Nasty Day!

If you’re tired of being nice, then March 8th is for you. It’s Be Nasty Day – when you don’t hold the door open for anyone, don’t say please or thank you, and help yourself to the biggest piece of chocolate cake. Aw heck. Take the whole cake.

March 9th is the day for the cool, calm and collected to let their hair down – it’s PANIC DAY! That’s right, if you’re trying to be brave about the impending zombie apocalypse, you can uncork some of that stress on this day. 24 hours not enough? INTERNATIONAL Panic Day comes along on June 18th.

National Ear Muffs Day occurs on March 13th. Although it might be better appreciated in colder months like January or February, the anniversary celebrates the patenting of ear muffs (actually “Champion Ear Protectors”) on March 13, 1877.

Thanks to Shakespeare, we know we should “beware the Ides of March”, but what is it? Once just a date on the Roman calendar, it referred to midmonth, March 15th, and served as a deadline to settle debts. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was murdered on that day and it’s had unlucky connotations ever since.

Everyone’s Irish on March 17th. But did you know that green wasn’t the color originally associated with St. Patrick? Turns out it was a vivid shade of blue. But by the end of the 1700s, the wearing of the green became more popular.  “St. Patrick’s Blue” isn’t completely forgotten however. It’s still used on Ireland’s Presidential Flag, while the Irish Guards sport a plume of St. Patrick’s blue on their bearskin hats.

Extraterrestrial Abduction Day!

The Vernal Equinox and first day of spring occur on the 20th . But they’re small potatoes next to the real celebration on this date – Extraterrestrial Abduction Day!  Whether you want to celebrate the fact that you haven’t been abducted – yet – or want to shout to the world that you have seen the inside of an alien craft, it’s your day.

And if you’re still in the mood for something extraterrestrial, you can celebrate “Near Miss Day” on March 23. That’s the day in 1989 that a huge asteroid passed within 500,000 miles of Earth. According to scientists, that was a very close call – we’re lucky it’s not The End of Life As We Know It Day!

International Waffle Day

National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day falls on March 24. I plan to celebrate with a giant box of them in front of a movie. And my hubby is hoping we celebrate the next day too – International Waffle Day is on March 25th! It was created by the Swedish, who apparently believe that making waffles is the ideal way to observe the coming of spring. I can’t argue with that.

Not finding a holiday you can really get behind? Then March 25th is just for you. It’s Make Your Own Holiday Day and you can recognize anything or anyone – including yourself!

March 27th is Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day. This is the time to celebrate classic tunes like “Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out When I’m Dead And Gone?”, “She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger”, “Did I Shave My Legs for This?”, “You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat” and “How Can I Miss You if You Won’t Go Away?”

At the end of such a busy month, you’ll need a day off. March 30th is Take a Walk in the Park Day. And it’ll probably be a nice day too – the month of March traditionally “goes out like a lamb”.

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GIVEAWAY

Now it’s your turn!  Tell me about a wacky holiday, your favorite holiday or what you WISH was a holiday. I have a signed copy of Changeling Dawn up for grabs. I’ll be drawing a name at random from the comments on Wednesday, March 7th. Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!  Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. :D