01/03/2026
March 1st – The custom of “March”
BY Anargyros Denaxas
We wish you a happy month and a happy spring! The month of March brings with it a bracelet made of white and red thread called “March”.
March takes its name from the Latin name for the god Ares (Mars = Mars). It is the first month of the Roman calendar and corresponds to the Elaphevolion of the Ancient Greeks.
The “March” Custom:
According to custom, this bracelet, according to tradition, is worn mainly by children to avoid "burning" and to protect themselves from the spring sun. Until recently, a few decades ago, beautiful women were the ones who did not tan from the sun (those who worked outside, the poorer peasant women, tanned). So the March sun was "sneaky" and the martyr was the reminder! They take it off at the end of the month, or leave it on the rose bushes (Rosa) when they see the first swallow, so that the birds can take it and build their nest.
The nicknames of March in folklore are many:
The "March bracelet" is just one of the many traditions of March, which is a month with a rich folklore tradition.
The popular imagination has given the month of March many nicknames, such as Anoxiatis (because it is the first month of Spring), Gdartis, Palukokaftis, Klapsomartis, Pentagnomos (for the changeable weather), Vangeliotis (because of the feast of the Annunciation), Fyteftis , and other descriptive of its physiognomy, which are related to qualities or actions attributed to it.
Most of these are found in the traditions and proverbs created by the people to explain the sudden changes in the weather or even the heavy winters that are observed in March and which are always dangerous for agriculture and livestock farming.
Source: https://syrospress.gr/1i-martiou-to-ethimo-tou-marti/
"Kalo Mina" (Καλό Μήνα) is the Greek phrase meaning "good month" or "happy new month," used to wish someone a healthy and prosperous month ahead, particularly on the first day of each month.
