MARCH
2012
1. Land of traditions
2. Unusual customs
calendar anniversaries
3. Interesting to know
4. Famous people
1th - St David's Day - Patron Saint of Wales
3rd - Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone was born in 1847
5th - St Piran's Day Cornwall. All over Cornwall celebrations are staged for St Piran's Day.
8-11th -Crufts. A famous annual British dog show which started in 1928. It is held at the NEC in Birmingham.
The "Best in Show" award is presented on the final day (Sunday).
12th - Commonwealth Day. People use the day to promote understanding about global issues, international cooperation and the work of the modern Commonwealth. Each year there is a different theme. The Queen will attend
a special service in Westminster Abbey.
15th - This date was the 'Ides of March' in the Roman calendar. This meant it was the day on which the month was
divided into two equal parts. Julius Caesar was murdered on this date in 44 BC.
17th -St Patrick's Day - Patron Saint of Ireland
18th - 30 mile an hour speed limit imposed on built up areas in 1935
18th - Mothers Day / Mothering Sunday (3 weeks before Easter)
22nd- English football league formed in 1888
23rd - In 1891 goal nets were used for the first time in English football.
25th - Lady Day
25th - Heathrow Airport Opened in 1948
26th - Anniversary of the first daily weather forecast.
28th - Palm Sunday This special day marks the beginning of Holy Week when we remember Jesus’ arrival in
Jerusalem and the waving of palm branches.
29th - Coca-Cola was introduced on this date in 1886.
31st - The Eiffel Tower in Paris was officially opened in 1889
From Scotland to Cornwall, the United Kingdom is full of traditions. English customs
and traditions, first of all, concerns United Kingdom political system. In Great Britain there
is no written constitution, only customs, traditions and precedents. After the English
Revolution of Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy headed by King (now Queen,
Elizabeth the second). Traditionally the Queen acts only on the advice of her Ministers. She
reigns but she does not rule.
Englishmen have traditions not only in political, but in social life. For example, London, the capital of England, is
traditionally divided into three parts: the West End, the East end, and the City. The City is a historical, financial and
business center of London. The East End is the district inhabited by the workers, and the West End is a fashionable
shopping and entertaining center. English people like to spend their free time in numerous pubs where they can have a glass
of beer and talk about different things with their friends.
The English are traditional about their meals. They eat
eggs and bacon with toasts for breakfast, pudding or apple pie
for dessert. Every English family has five o'clock tea. A
typical feature of an English house is a fireplace, even when
there is central heating in the house.
English people like domestic animals. Every family has a pet: a dog, a cat or a bird.
Politeness is a characteristic feature of Englishmen. They often say "Thank you",
"Sorry", "Beg your pardon". Russian people, I think, have to learn this good custom.
Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas, St. Valentine's Day,
Mother's day, Easter and others.
Some English customs and traditions are
famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea
and talking about the weather, for example.
Facts about March
Gemstone: Bloodstone
Flower: Jonquil
Where does the word March originate from?
The word 'March' comes from the Roman 'Martius'. This was originally
the first month of the Roman calendar and was named after Mars, the god of war.
March was the beginning of our calendar year. We changed to the 'New
Style' or 'Gregorian calendar in 1752, and it is only since then when we the year
began on 1st January.
The Anglo-Saxons called the month Hlyd monath which means Stormy
month, or Hraed monath which means Rugged month.
One of the flowers most associated with March is the narcissus (Wild
daffodil). Named after the boy in Greek mythology, who was changed into a
flower. Narcissus is also known as Lent Lily because it blooms in
early spring and the blooms usually dropping before Easter.
It is the main daffodil species of Britain.
The daffodil became a popular Welsh symbol in the 19th Century.
The UK's version of Mother's Day - 18 March
Mothering Sunday in the UK is the equivalent of Mothers' Day in other countries. Mothering Sunday is a time
when children pay respect to their Mothers. Children often give their Mothers a gift and a card.
Many churches give the children in the congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give
to their Mothers as a thank you for all their care and love throughout the year.
Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is always the fourth Sunday of Lent. Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day
because it is always the middle Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday). This
means that Mother's Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall in different months.
Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK since at least the 16th century.
Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a
day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honor of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', a story in the Christian
Bible. No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name of Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the
celebration could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess.
Not many special days have female associations, Lady is special because in the Christian religion, it was the day
when Jesus was conceived. The Christmas nativity will be 9 months later.
Lady Day on 25th March is one of the four Quarter days, the others are: Christmas on 25th December,
Midsummer's Day on 24th June and Michaelmas on 29th September.
In England, Lady Day was New Year's Day up to 1752. Indeed it is in England that Lady Day still has the greatest
significance. Until 1971, Quarter Sessions or Quarter Assizes had a connotation with Quarter days. Nowadays Quarter
Sessions have been replaced with Crown Courts. Quarter days were also the traditional day when tenants paid their
quarterly rent. Indeed standard leases still have the clause: 'Rent on a lease is payable on the 'usual quarter days' unless
the lease states to the contrary.
In myths described in the Mabinogion Welsh folk tales, Lady Day celebrates the union between the spring Virgin
Goddess and the young solar God. In another Mabinogion tale, the spring equinox (Lady Day) is when Llew takes
revenge on the evil Grundy. According to the allegory, Llew lances his bitter enemy with a shaft of sunlight.
March 8-11
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs
organized and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National
Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the
world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts four days. Crufts consists of
several competitions occurring at the same time. The main competition is for the Best in
Show award, which is hotly contested by dogs and their owners throughout the world.
Crufts was named after its founder, Charles Cruft, who worked as general
manager for a dog biscuit manufacturer, travelling to dog shows both in the United
Kingdom and internationally, which allowed him to establish contacts and
understand the need for higher standards for dog shows. In 1886, Cruft's first dog
show, billed as the "First Great Terrier Show", had 57 classes and 600 entries. The
first show named "Crufts"—"Cruft's Greatest Dog Show"—was held at the Royal
Agricultural Hall, Islington, in 1891. It was the first at which all breeds were invited
to compete, with around 2,000 dogs and almost 2,500 entries.
With the close of the 19th century, entries had risen to over 3,000, including
royal patronage from various European countries and Russia. The show continued
annually and gained popularity each year until Charles' death in 1938. His widow ran
the show for four years until she felt unable to do so due to its high demands of time
and effort. To ensure the future and reputation of the show (and, of course, her
husband's work), she sold it to The Kennel Club.
Johann Sebastian Bach
21 March 1685 – 28 July 1750
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist
of the Baroque Period. He enriched many established German styles through his skill in
counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and
textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach wrote much music, which was
revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty. Many of his works
are still known today, such as the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, the WellTempered Clavier, and his passions, cantatas, partitas, and organ works.
Elton Hercules John
.
25 March 1947
Sir Elton Hercules John is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and
occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967;
they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.
In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of
the most successful artists of all time.
Having been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, John
received a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable
services" in 1998.
He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s. In 1992, he
established the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a year later began hosting the annual Academy
Award Party, which has since become one of the most high-profile Oscar parties in the
Hollywood film industry. Since its inception, the foundation has raised over $200 million.