Beware of The Ides of March
March. So many New Englanders complain about this last month of winter. It is a fickle month, when the birds begin singing their music to hungry human ears starving for just a small taste of spring weather on one day and the next taking us by a literal storm.
We don’t know how to dress during this transitional month. Turtleneck or long sleeve shirt with a sweater? Scarf just in case? Do we take a warm jacket with us or a lighter one because the air can turn as briskly as it started as it teases us with the ever changing light.
March is a dramatic month. It is a shifting month. We set the clocks ahead forcing light upon our sleepy dark souls. March feels long to many, almost set to make up for the 3 days its predecessor missed, to ensure we New Englanders know that it is Mother Nature who is consistently in charge.
I have always loved March because it is the month of my birthday.
When people find out that my birthday is the ides of March, especially men, they will say, "Ahhhh, beware of the Ides of March." In 44bc, March 15th was the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. The Ides of March has a reputation for being a fateful day, surrounded by feelings of misfortune and doom.
Not for me. I love that I was born mid month, it makes the month something to look forward to as I begin plans for my birthday as early as February. This March 15, I am going to be 60 and this feels poignant and significant. I didn’t know too much about the history of the Ides of March other than Julius Caesar and I don't like this association so I decided to take a look into other possibilities surrounding March 15th.
March 15 used to be considered the first day of the year on the Gregorian calendar often corresponding to a full moon. Before Julius Caesar, the Ides of March was associated with the Roman Goddess, Anna Perenna. I found Anna Perenna on a website called Obscure Female Goddesses and this felt apropos.
“Anna Perenna is the Roman Goddess of long life and renewal, health and plenty. Her two names both make reference to the year: Anna means "to live through a year", while Perenna means "last many years" (still seen in the English words annual and perennial) (LOVED THIS).
She seems to be concerned with cycles of renewal, and connecting the past to the present; She Herself is described in some legends as old, and in others as young. Her festival was held on the Ides of March, the 15th, or midpoint of the month, when in the old calendar the moon was full—and the timing, both within the month as well as within the larger cycle of the year, also points to a relationship with memory, cyclical time, and endings becoming beginnings.
March was considered the first month of the year when springtime was in full flower and newness was all around. Sacrifices were made to Her with the intent "that the circle of the year may be completed happily.
She is likely an original Italian Goddess of health and longevity, and perhaps the calendar as well, as she embodies the concept of the moon-calculated month within the year. Late legends make Her a deified human.
One of these states that Anna Perenna was an old woman from the town of Bollivae in Latium (the area of central Italy that included Rome). Historically, in 494 BCE, the plebeians (the commoners or peasants), tired of paying taxes and being conscripted into the military while having no voice in the government, holed themselves up on the Mons Sacer, or Sacred Mount about three miles northeast of Rome, with intentions to secede. They were finally coaxed back to Rome with the institution of the tribunes, or representatives of the tribes, whose function was to represent the peoples' interests and defend their freedoms against those of the patrician class. In the legend, Anna Perenna brought the plebeians cakes and kept them fed. ( I love feeding people) For these reasons She was always popular with the common people, and after Her death She was considered a Goddess.”
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
The name Anna is derived from the Old Testament meaning Grace. This made me look into names. I looked up my name, Alayne and learned that it means bright and often associated with qualities such as intelligence, clarity, and brilliance, making it a favorable choice for parents seeking a name that conveys positivity and light. Is this why my mother named me Alayne with the unusual spelling? I can't believe I don't know the answer to this. I must ask her.
Then I was reminded of the day I was given my Hebrew Name or at least I think I remember, but the actual place and time seem obscure in itself. I was in Hebrew school and we were all standing in the hallway for some reason, when Mrs. Weinberg, the Rabbi's wife, anointed each of us with our name.
"You", she said with her strong but kind authority, "You are Aviva." Aviva means spring.
I don’t know if she knew I was born with the March whisper of springtime and newness. Doubtful she knew about the obscure goddess, Anna Perenna. She likely knew March 15 was the Ides of March and often associated with a day of fate and doom. Perhaps she wanted to connect me with something more sparkly and happy. Each possibility seems to connect though and I appreciate the tidiness of that.
Finally that the 15th of March was also a beloved festival. I love this.
“The Festival of Anna Perenna on the 15th of March was beloved by the common people, though it was also an officially recognized holiday. On the evening of the 15th, people would gather at the 1st milestone on the Via Flaminia in Her sacred grove of fruit trees (in bloom at that time of year) by the banks of the Tiber, and camp out, some bringing tents, others making little shelters from leafy tree branches.
There they picnicked merrily into the night, feasting, dancing, singing, and celebrating with much wine, toasting to health and long life. It was believed that one would live as many years as the cups of wine one could drink, and so it was of course traditional therefore to get very, very drunk. This festival connected the old and the new; it is interesting to note that the Via Flaminia was famous for its tombs and cemeteries.”
As I spent the morning in my loose research down the rabbit hole, I was able to travel back in time, I was able to reflect on parties and feasts I have made for people I love. I thought about Italy, about my childhood and my time as a mother and a wife.
I realized how far I have been and how far I have come in 60 years.
Old and new. Spring. Learning. Changing, food, festivals, fate too. Goddesses and baking for others, circle of life- all of this right before I turn 60 because I just happen to be born and decided to take a good deep look at the significance of that particular day and time in the universe. Writing leads me to reading and reading leads me to learning.
As I approach 60, this is a fact in my soul that never goes hungry.