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Most of us think of St. Patrick’s Day as the only major holiday of March, but there are two holidays that hold much more significance that are placed right at the end of March. The Hindu festival of Holi and the month of Ramadan are two of the most important religious events in the world and both begin in March. To start, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, and this signals Muslims to begin to fast and pray. In this month, Muslims commemorate the revelation the angel Gabriel gave to Muhammed. For around twenty to thirty days, Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset, breaking the fast at night and early morning. The fasting applies not just to food; most worldly pleasures are also fasted during the fasting period of dawn to sunset. Holi is known as the festival of colors, love, and spring, and it signifies the love between the gods Radha and Vishnu. It usually falls in the middle of March, and it is marked by celebrations for a night and day. Hindus will burn pyres, eat, drink, and cover themselves and others with colors. The celebration is famous for its many bright colors smeared across people and objects. After the celebrations, Hindus will meet with their families and exchange gifts. Holi symbolizes forgiveness and love, so family is one of the most important aspects of the entire holiday. Both of these holidays are extremely important to their respective religions, and hopefully many of you reading this will go out and celebrate.

The spring equinox - also known as the vernal equinox - marks the first day of spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, this event occurs on March 20th or the 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, the event occurs in September, since the hemisphere's seasonal changes are parallel to each other. The spring and autumn equinoxes are different from the winter and summer solstices, which mark the shortest and longest days of the year, respectively. In comparison, the equinoxes represent the days where the hours of day and night are almost equal - a fact which makes sense when considering the presence of the prefix “equi” in the term “equinox”. The spring equinox marks the period where the sun sits directly above the equator. In our Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of spring means earlier sunrises, later sunsets, and the rebirth of vegetation into our environment. This year, the spring equinox is set to occur on March 20th around 5:00 pm. By the time you’re reading this, you’ll hopefully be surrounded by the sounds and colors of spring! 

World Down Syndrome Day has been celebrated since 2012 on March 21st, as the twenty-first day of the third month signifies the triplication of the twenty-first chromosome, which causes the genetic disorder. If you visit www.worlddownsyndromeday.org there is a tab titled “Lots of Socks Campaign” where you can choose from a wide variety of funky socks to order. Wearers of the socks have the ability to spread awareness about down syndrome whenever an individual inquires about them. 

According to the Library of Congress, the United States enforced Daylight Saving Time in 1918 under the Standard Time Act as a way to save fuel costs during World War I, adding an extra hour of sunlight to the day. Daylight Saving Time has evolved throughout the years, as its intention is a way to save energy. Daylight Saving Time now begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March, ending at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November, with the extra hour of light given to trick-or-treaters being a motivating factor. Last year, the United States Senate passed legislation approving the end of changing clocks. If passed by the House of Representatives, the bill will be placed in the hands of President Biden, who will have the ability to end this changing of clocks that occurs twice annually.