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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m sure other bad things have happened in March besides the murder of Julius Caesar, but they haven\u2019t cursed the day like Julius\u2019s murder. But nonetheless, \u201cBeware the Ides of March\u201d stuck and the words branded the phrase, and the date, March 15, with a dark and gloomy connotation. Most of the time the way the phrase is used today makes it seem like the day itself is cursed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Way back when, the Roman year began in March and originally the Ides were the day of the first full moon each year.
The Romans didn\u2019t number days of the month but counted back from the Nones (5th or 7th,) Ides (13th or 15th) and kalends (1st of the next month.) In March, July, October and May the Ides fall on the \u201c15th day.\u201d
So the Ides of March is the 74th day in the ancient Roman calendar, corresponding to March 15 \u2014 nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The popular story is a soothsayer told Caesar to \u201cbeware the Ides of March,\u201d but historians think that Caesar was warned that his life was in danger by a haruspex called Spurinna. A haruspex was a religious official that based his predictions on the entrails of sacrificed animals. Because of Spurinna\u2019s high status, he would\u2019ve known about the anti-Caesar sentiment at the time since the ruler had transformed the society into a dictatorship. So the prediction was probably a calculated judgement rather than a prophecy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll probably be ok this Ides of March, but look both ways before you cross the street, just to be on the safe side\u2026.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
St. Nicholas, on whom the figure of Santa Claus was based, was born on the Ides of March in 270, making March 15 a day that will live in infamy\u2026.. no, that\u2019s not right . I\u2019m sure other bad things … Continue reading