Mad March - A Rhyme – The Months - Marzo Pazzo – Filastrocca – I Mesi

 

        

The months in photos from my Flickr Collection January to December, not necessarily all from the same year.

We are just about half way through the month that Italians call Mad March,( Marzo Pazzo) or Crazy March, (Marzo Pazzerello). It has certainly lived up to the name this year as we have experienced just about all the variations of weather that nature can provide.   We have had mild sunny, cold sunny, torrential rain, grey, damp drizzle, misty mornings, sleet, snow and strong cold winds! I know in English we use the expression that March arrives like a lion and leaves like a lamb. In Italy we seem to experience the lion and the lamb weather all jumbled together throughout the month and subject to sudden changes. It can be sunny in the morning and raining by later afternoon or vice versa. I have learnt to realise why the Italians always seem to carry an umbrella at this time of the year. There are also dramatic changes in temperature with it feeling pleasantly mild one day then penetratingly cold the next. I do mean cold, like in thermal undies weather.   This time of March weather is referred to as ‘fa brutto’ ‘ makes ugly’ and it sure does, with the Marta webcam Meteo Marta now on the website some of you may have noticed these dramatic variations already.  It is mild today and bright so I am off for a walk this afternoon when I have finished this post as tomorrow the temperature is due to drop dramatically again and rain, rain, rain is forecast but of course as this is Marzo Pazzerello it might well change again and again.

I discovered this lovely little  rhyme (Filastrocca) about the months of the year (I Mesi), when an Italian blogging friend of mine who lives in Scotland posted it on her blog An Italian Daily Journal earlier this year, which she says she does not mind me reproducing again here with no link back required, although I have included one. She does not have permalinks anyway on her blog, but I do hope some of you will visit to learn how an Italian likes living in Scotland.

Gennaio freddoloso
febbraio spiritoso
marzo pazzerello
aprile mite e bello
maggio sognatore
giugno cantatore
luglio nuotatore
agosto gran signore
settembre grappolaio
ottobre castagnaio
novembre triste e stanco
dicembre tutto bianco.

January the chilly
February the hilarious
March crazy
April mild and beautiful
May the dreamer
June the singer
July the swimmer
August the great lord
September grapes carrier
October chestnuts carrier
November sad and tired
December all white

Continuing on the same theme of the months March, Marzo was also the first month of the original Roman ten month year. Roman Calendar – Wikipedia  Roman writers claimed that their calendar was invented by Romulus, the founder of Rome around 753 BC.

It was originally :-

Martius                        March (Marzo)                 Named after Mars the God of War

Aprilis                         April (Aprile)                   Named after Venus the Goddess of Love

Maius                          May (Maggio)                  Named after Maia the Goddess of Spring and Rebirth

Junius                         June (Giugno)                  Named after Juno the Queen of Gods.

Quintilis                      July (Luglio)                    Known as the fifth month until 44BC when renamed Lulius in honour of Julius Caesar

Sextilis                       August (Agosto)               Known as the sixth month until 8BC renamed Augustus after first Roman Emperor

Septem                       September (Settembre)    The seventh month

Octo                           October (Ottobre)            The eighth month

Novem                        November (Novembre)      The ninth month

Decem                        December (Dicembre)       The tenth month

The remaining two months of the year were left unnamed until 700 BC when Numa Pompilus added them and made them the first two months of the year before Martius.

Janarius                     January (Gennaio)           Named after Janus the God of Beginnings

Februarius                  February (Febbraio)         Named after Februs the God of Purificati

 

 

Image with thanks to Squidoo.com where more about Ancient Mythology, and Meanings Behind Our Calendar can be learnt.

 

Finally my favourite photograph this month so far taken at 6.30am on March 11th from one of our first floor windows.

 

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