On the March! (Break)

A lot of people think that March Break is just the high school version of reading week but it actually goes back much further to ancient times when Roman soldiers enjoyed a four-week furlough during the summer campaign season. Important officials would gather in the capital during this time to discuss the issues of the day, which is why General Julius Caesar was in town on the Ides of March when he was assassinated by his fellow Senators.

Over time, the months shifted on the calendar: September, October, November, and December -- so named because they originally were the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months -- became months 9 through 12 and March was moved from the middle of the summer to earlier in the year to make room for July and August (named after Julius and Augustus Caesar).

The four-week furlough for non-essential military personnel became associated with the Roman god of war Ares (who became known as Mars going forward) because it was spun by Roman aristocrats as a tribute to the state's warriors and not just a cost-cutting measure to reduce Rome's ballooning military budget. In this regard, March Break can be seen as an antecedent to contemporary holidays like Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, and Remembrance Day. Folks were more into military glory back then so things got blown out into almost a full month.

Like Saturnalia and other pagan traditions, March Break (or 'Mars Brecht' as it was traditionally known) was eventually co-opted as a Christian holiday, becoming an important part of the agrarian calendar to ensure all hands were available for the spring planting season. Since then the capital-industrialist powers-that-be have whittled the break down to a vestigial week, which is all that remains of a once proud tradition of honouring veterans.

St. Patrick's Day, however, has nothing to do with March. So stop making the month about drinking and the colour green.

#KnowYourHistory