March: From Winter’s End to Spring’s Awakening!

#44 Week 10

Author

Sigrun Sørumgård
March 03, 2025

I Martius am! Once first, and now third! To lead the Year was my appointed place; A mortal dispossessed me by a word, And set there Janus with the double face.

  1. What is the name of the day in March, which is it one of two days of the year where day and night are of equal length?

  2. In India, there is an annual festival in honour of the Hindu gods Shiva and Krishna, but also colours, love and spring. What is the name of this colourful festival?

  3. Ireland's national day is March 17, but what is this day better known as, and is also celebrated in many places around the world?

  4. An English proverb about March mentions two animals. Fill in the two words (animals) that are missing in the saying: “March comes in like a _____ and goes out like a _____”.

  5. Which two zodiac signs fall in March?

  6. Which South American country celebrates "Día del Mar" (Day of the Sea) in March to remember its lost coastline?

  7. Which mathematical constant has its own day in mid-March?

  8. What is the official flower of the month for March?

  9. In which classic children's book from 1865 do we meet the March Hare, also called the Easter Bunny?

  10. What famous battle of the Texas Revolution was fought in March 1836?

The Wonder Wall

  • March has double birthstone magic: Aquamarine, with its watery name, was like a lucky charm for Roman sailors, who believed it protected them on the high seas. Some also thought it could cool tempers, prevent poisoning and increase the chance of epiphanies. Meanwhile, its birthstone buddy, bloodstone, has an association with bravery and vitality that goes back to the Middle Ages and Christian legends.

  • The Ides of March is the day on the Roman calendar marked as the Idus, roughly the midpoint of a month, of Martius, corresponding to 15 March on the Gregorian calendar. It was marked by several major religious observances. In 44 BC, it became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which made the Ides of March a turning point in Roman history.

  • On March 1st, 1781, the Articles of Confederation went into effect in the United States, becoming the country's first constitution.

Friday´s Questions & Answers

  1. What is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world?

    Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world.

  2. What type of alcohol is found in alcoholic beverages?

    The alcohol in drinks is called ethanol (ethyl alcohol). It is made when yeast ferments the sugars in grains, fruits and vegetables. For example, wine is made from the sugar in grapes and vodka is made from the sugar in potatoes.

  3. Which Italian liqueur is known for its bright orange colour and is used in Spritz cocktails?

    Aperol.

  4. Which two countries is credited with the invention of whiskey?

    Ireland and Scotland both claim to have developed whiskey (earliest records date to the 1400s).

  5. What is the primary ingredient in sake, the Japanese alcoholic beverage?

    The main ingredient used to brew sake is rice. Each brewer decides on what rice or combination of rice strains they want to use for a particular sake. This may also include table rice, but generally includes rice specifically grown for sake production.

  6. During the Age of Exploration, what alcoholic drink was commonly carried on ships to prevent scurvy?

    Rum (often mixed with lime in grog).

  7. Which Greek alcoholic drink is known for turning cloudy when mixed with water?

    Ouzo

  8. When was the Prohibition era in the United States?

    A period from 1920 to 1933 when the production, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages were illegal.

  9. What was the nickname given to absinthe due to its association with bohemian artists and writers?

    The Green Fairy ("La Fée Verte" in French).

  10. Which famous Russian Tsar established state control over vodka production in the 16th century?

    Ivan the Terrible created a state monopoly for the sale of alcohol when he “nationalized” taverns throughout the Russian state in 1553.