Thursday, January 19, 2006

Beware the Ides of March!

Once in a while, when people ask when I am due and I say, "March 15th," they follow up with, "Ooh, the Ides of March!"

Huh? I have heard of the Ides of March, but before this morning, my knowledge stopped there. I decided to do some research.

And now for today's history lesson. :)

On the ancient Roman calendar, there were 45 public festivals (talk about days off galore!), as well as the "ides" of each month. In March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th. In all other months, the ides were on the 13th. In addition to ides, there were "kalends" and "nones." The kalends were the 1st of every month. The nones fell on the 7th day in March, May, July, and October, and the 5th in all other months. Until 44 BC, "The ides of March" was just a standard way of saying "March 15th."

Then came the fateful day--March 15, 44 BC. Julius Caesar was murdered in the senate. This event made the ides of March a dark day and superstitious to some. Shakespeare even refers to the day as "unlucky" in his play, "Julius Caesar." Caesar asks a soothsayer about the future, and gets the response, "Beware the ides of March."

There you have it. The ides of March. I'm going to begin celebrating days on the ancient Roman calendar. What do you say we plan a potluck for the nones of February? It just happens to be Super Bowl Sunday!

And for the record, I'm aiming for a St. Patrick's Day baby.

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