The month of March brings joy to the nation and millions of people around the world. Here we look at some of the notable events of what is going on in March and talk about some of the traditions and meanings behind those events.

Pancake Day is a name given in the UK to that of Shrove Tuesday.
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Christian festival of Lent and Lent is the duration of forty days running up to Easter, when the remembrance of the forty days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert was traditionally respected by people fasting and praying.
the date of Shrove Tuesday is determined by the date of Easter, which occurs on a different day each year and this year it falls on March 4th.
So, where do pancakes come into that? Traditionally people would eat all the rich food available in the house which was a good opportunity to have a healthy meal before the fasting began.
Pancakes use up eggs and butter and any leftover food could also embellish the meal.
Today we eat pancakes for dessert, layered with sugar and lemon juice or combined with sweet treats such as jams and golden syrups. An enjoyable and fun British tradition is that of pancake races, where participants race against one another whilst holding a frying pan and pancake. The pancake must be tossed several times during the race. The most famous race is the Olney Pancake Race and the origins can be traced back to a housewife who whilst making pancakes supposedly heard her church bell and ran to the church still wearing her apron and holding her frying pan. Who knows if that is true at all?
In some countries Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as the festival of Mardi Gras, which has a literal meaning of: Fat Tuesday which takes place over the days or weeks running up to Shrove Tuesday.
Street festivals and parades, dancing and music, are most famously celebrated in New Orleans USA and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

International Woman's Day is celebrated on 8th March every year. this event is recognised by the United Nations as a Worldwide event to celebrate women's achievements, no matter what their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, political situation or identity is. It also campaigns for gender equality and universal suffrage around the globe. The first National Women’s Day was in the USA in 1908 and came about in solidarity with women factory workers striking over their working conditions. Women's Days were celebrated across Europe, during the early part of the 20th century and after World War II the occasions of Woman's Day celebrations were held internationally on March 8th. The United Nations Day celebrating that day in 1977 adopted 8th March as an International United Nations Day. Whilst International Women's Day is not widely celebrated in the UK, it is a national holiday in almost 30 countries, mainly in Eastern Europe and Africa. The following link offers more information on International Women's Day.

St. David’s Day and St. Patrick's Day both fall in March with the respective dates being the 1st and the 17th of March each year. St. David is the Patron Saint of Wales and the date aligns with what is believed to be his death in 589AD. Locals proudly display their national emblems like the daffodil or leeks to their lapels and flags are flown across Wales. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland. However the day is celebrated all over the world, wherever there is an Irish community. Parades, music, dancing, special foods, lots of the colour green and a fair bit of drinking are the norm for this fantastic festival.

Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox is the day that represents the first day of spring.
March 19th or 20th is the date of the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and September 22nd or 23rd in the Southern Hemisphere. But what does equinox mean? It’s a Latin word which literally means “equal nights”, that it is one of the two days in the year where the day and night are both exactly 12 hours long. The Spring Equinox represents the beginning of astronomical spring, being based upon the position of the Earth's orbit in relation to that of the Sun. Many cultures celebrate spring festivals for millennia. In pagan times you would celebrate by watching the sun rise on the day of the spring equinox and many people still converge on sacred sites such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire to do this.

Red Nose Day is back again, on 21st of March. 40 years of taking on challenges are traditional and people buy a ‘red nose’ whilst joining the nation for a day of laughter. 100’s of millions of pounds has been raised over 40 years and here’s your chance to join and support such a worthy cause.

Shakespeare Week takes place from 24th to 30th March and is the national annual celebration giving primary school aged children opportunities for enriching and enjoyable early encounters with Shakespeare.

Tolkien Reading Day is on the 25th of March and is organised by the Tolkien Society, to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading their favourite passages from his books.

Mother’s Day falls on the 30th of March and it is also known as Mothering Sunday. this is the day where we show our mothers how much we love them in the UK. Traditionally flowers, gifts or chocolate are given as a sign of our appreciation for everything our mothers do for us.

British Summer Time finally begins on the 30th of March when Daylight saving begins, so remember to turn your clocks forward 1 hour at 1am in the morning.

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