So Monday is my birthday: March 15th. For years I remember two things about the way adults reacted to me as a child: (1) Oh, your name is R.J.! That’s just like Dallas! (and for the record, no, no it is not). Or (2) Oh my! You were born on the Ides of March!
It’s funny, because when I was a kid, I had no idea what the ides of march was; I just knew it carried with it a certain degree of playful dread, given the reaction of adults. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned a lot more about what the day actually is, and not what people seem to attribute to it.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m not surprised. It seems like the superstition around the date has faded in recent years. Historically speaking, the term ‘ides’ meant the middle of the month for either Martius (March), Maius (May), Quintillis (July), or October on the Roman calendar. On the Ides of March, the Romans actively celebrated for Mars, the god of war (who, by the way, is awesome). (more…)