SimplyNumbers

Year of Golden Rabbit

According to the Chinese Zodiac it's now the year of the Golden Rabbit. Rabbit brings time to slow down, and focus on home, safety & relationships.

Ides of March

According to the Roman calendar, “The “Ides of March” is the name given to March 15. It was a special day dedicated to honoring Mars, a god of war, and therefore a military parade would usually be held in his honor.

The day is popular in modern culture because of it’s link to Julius Caesar. In 44 B.C. he was killed by stabbing in the Roman Senate. He had been previously warned to that he was in danger by a powerful soothsayer or seer. A large group of the Senate, led by Brutus, conspired together to commit the act which was dramatized and handed down to us in the play “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare.

A little known fact is that “ides” is used to describe the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October. It is also used to describe the 13th day of the other months. Originally, it is theorized that this was the day on which the full moon would appear. The Roman calendar was organized in a way that that allowed the for three “special” days each month. These days served as important markers for the counting of the other days:

    * Kalends
      -1st day of the month
      -Day of the new moon
    * Nones
      -7th of March, May, July, and October. The 5th in the other months
      -Day of the half moon.
    * Ides
     -15th of March, May, July, and October. The 13th in the other months
     -Day of the full moon.

Mayan calendars

The Mayan used several calendars that were used for different purposes. Of course, you are probably aware of their Long Count calendar, but we’ll talk about the Tzolk’in and Haab calendars.

The Mayan Tzolk'in calendar consisted of 260 days. There are no weeks or months, but each day is numbered from 1 to 13, and each day has a particular name. Its primary purpose was to help to determine the correct time for divining and sacred events.

The Mayan Haab' calendar consisted of 18 separate months, and each month was composed of 20 days. At the end of the year was a 5 day period called the Wayeb. The Wayeb could be a time of “ill omen”, so the Maya practiced special rituals. Its primary purpose was believed to be for determining the seasons for the benefit of farming and harvesting.