March is an important month. After all, it contains Saint Patrick’s Day, which some may consider their favorite holiday. It also holds many smaller, weirder holidays that one could celebrate march madness without even watching college basketball.
Psychology majors rejoice, the first strange holiday to come crashing through the gate is Multiple Personalities Day, which falls on March 5. This is a day dedicated specifically to those who have been diagnosed with split personality disorder. The most well known example of this psychological phenomenon is Shirley Ardell Mason’s, “Sybil” case. She was actually diagnosed with 16 different personalities. Whatever your major, this holiday would be a perfect excuse to set aside some time to read up on the interesting accounts of people who have battled this complex mental disorder.
Feeling stressed? You probably aren’t alone. College can be an insane time. It can feel like you are under a mountain of constant pressure between trying to excel academically, work a job and still make time for family and friends. If you’ve been feeling like the only thing that would help relieve your ocean of stress would be to stand in a public place and shout obscenities at those walking by, just wait. Your day is coming on March 9, which just so happens to be Panic Day. While it may not be advisable to rage against random people passing by, it would be the perfect day to throw a mini hissy fit if need be. On this day, you officially have the calendar’s permission.
Calling all math enthusiasts, March 14 is National Pi Day. It’s a day to celebrate the infinite number pi and to celebrate mathematics as a whole. Because National Pi Day falls on a Thursday, some students will probably have to celebrate this day whether they want to or not because they will be attending a Tuesday and Thursday math class. If you think that March 14 is a relatively random date to celebrate the holiday, think again. Albert Einstein was born on March 14 and pi, the never-ending number, is often abbreviated as 3.14, which is the shortened way of writing March 14.
On March 15 we reach the Ides of March. You may have heard the phrase: ‘Beware, beware the Ides of March!’ Most people don’t have any reason to beware of this date but, Julius Caesar who was brutally stabbed to death on this day in 44 B.C. sure did. For those who are looking to pay their respects to the tragic Roman dictator, why not enjoy a salad with Caesar dressing on top? What a sympathetic and healthy choice you’d be making.
Of course, no article about March would be complete without mentioning Saint Patrick’s Day falling on March 17. On this day, we commemorate Saint Patrick for his efforts at bringing Christianity to Ireland. Now, it’s a day where everyone claims to have a rich Irish heritage. This is also a day where everyone feels the pressure to wear green in order to avoid the miserable fate of being pinched all day. This is quite interesting because the official color for the holiday was originally blue, but gradually became green as early as the 17 century. Why not pepper the phrase “Erin go Braugh,” which loosely translates to “Ireland Forever” into your everyday conversations? This will make others think that you are quite the smarty-pants when it comes to Saint Patrick’s Day.
If you’re in the camp that believes that we earthlings are not alone in this universe, March 20 is a day worthy of your appreciation, as it is Alien Abduction Day. Some believe that on this day, UFOs lurk in the skies in search of unlucky humans to snatch. Whether you buy into this phenomenon or are simply an avid science fiction fan, it might be interesting to don a tin foil hat similar to the ones the characters in the movie “Signs” wore. Supposedly by wearing a tin foil hat, you can prevent aliens from controlling and reading your mind with the tin foil acting as a shield from electromagnetic fields. If all else fails, you’ve got a hat for the rain.
Lastly we come to March 28, our final quirky holiday of the month, which is Something On a Stick Day. The sky is the limit on this day because of how many foods can be eaten on a stick. This holiday is especially relevant with the new trend of frying anything and everything and slapping it on a stick with the logic being that everything tastes better on a stick. This is a concept that works really deliciously in the case of chocolate covered cheesecake or pie on a stick. Regardless, it is advisable avoid deep fried butter on a stick because then you’re just asking for trouble. Whatever your cuisine on a stick eating style, go forth and taste some wild concoctions like deep fried candy bars or Twinkies.
Hopefully these unique holidays that lay hidden within the month of March will bring you endless entertainment, should you choose to celebrate them in the weeks to come. If you know of any other unique holidays worthy of sharing, email us at clarion@sinclair.edu.