Yes. It is.
If you look at any standard Gregorian calendar hanging on a wall or sitting in your taskbar right now, March is the third month of the year. It follows February and precedes April. It’s got 31 days. It marks the start of spring in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the south.
But honestly? That’s the boring answer.
The real story of why we call it the third month is a mess of ancient Roman politics, superstitious emperors, and a couple of missing months that used to leave people basically guessing when winter was over. If you've ever wondered why "September" starts with the prefix for seven but is actually the ninth month, you’re already poking at the giant historical bruise that is our modern dating system.
The Roman glitch: When March was actually number one
For a long time, March wasn't the third month. It was the first.
In the original Roman calendar—the one supposedly dreamt up by Romulus around 753 BCE—the year only had ten months. It started in March (Martius) and ended in December. If you’re doing the math, that only accounts for about 304 days. The Romans basically just ignored the dead of winter. They didn't even name the days between December and March because no one was farming, no one was fighting wars, and frankly, no one cared. It was just "winter."
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March was named after Mars, the Roman god of war. This wasn't a coincidence. March was when the snow melted enough for the Roman legions to start marching again. It was the kickoff for the military season.
Then came Numa Pompilius. He was the second king of Rome, and he decided the "ignored winter" thing was pretty disorganized. He added January and February to the end of the calendar. Even then, March stayed the conceptual "start" of the year for a long time. It wasn't until around 153 BCE that the Roman civil year officially shifted, making January the first month and pushing March into the third-place spot we know today.
Why we still feel like March is a beginning
Even though it’s technically the third month, March feels like a restart. Most of us are over the "New Year, New Me" hype by February 15th. March is the actual vibe shift.
In the UK and many other countries, the tax year still follows a cycle that feels suspiciously like the old Roman New Year. The UK tax year starts on April 6th. Why such a random date? It's a holdover from the old Julian calendar and the Feast of the Annunciation (Lady Day) on March 25th, which used to be the official New Year’s Day in England until 1752. When the British finally switched to the Gregorian calendar, they had to skip 11 days to align with the rest of Europe. To make sure the Treasury didn't lose out on 11 days of tax revenue, they just bumped the start of the tax year forward.
The Equinox factor
Scientifically, March holds the vernal equinox. Around March 20th or 21st, the sun crosses the celestial equator. Day and night are roughly equal. If you’re an astronomer, the "year" doesn't start on January 1st; it starts when the sun enters Aries.
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We are biologically programmed to see March as a beginning. The sap rises in the trees. The birds start acting crazy. The soil warms up. Calling it the "third" month is just a human-made label slapped onto a massive seasonal transition that’s been happening for millions of years.
Comparing the calendars: How March moved around
It's weird to think that the position of a month can just change because a king says so. But it happened constantly.
- The Romulus Calendar: March is Month 1. The year ends at Month 10 (December).
- The Pompilius Reform: January and February are tacked on. March is still the "cultural" start but starts sliding.
- The Julian Calendar: Julius Caesar, tired of the calendar drifting away from the seasons, fixed the year at 365.25 days. March is firmly the third month here.
- The Gregorian Calendar: Pope Gregory XIII tweaks it again in 1582 because the Julian version was off by 11 minutes a year. This is the version your iPhone uses.
If you live in Iran or Afghanistan, March isn't the third month in the same way. The Solar Hijri calendar starts its first month, Farvardin, right at the March equinox. For millions of people, the "third month" of the Gregorian system is actually the "first month" of their lived reality.
The weirdness of February makes March look better
We have to talk about February. Part of the reason people ask "is March the 3rd month" is that February feels like a glitch in the Matrix. It’s short. It changes length every four years. It’s the speed bump you have to get over to reach March.
The Romans thought even numbers were unlucky. Numa Pompilius tried to make all his months have 29 or 31 days. But the math didn't work to reach 355 days (the lunar year length they were aiming for). Someone had to be the "unlucky" month with an even number of days. February got the short straw. It was the month of purification and rituals for the dead, so the Romans figured it was okay if it was "unlucky."
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March, with its 31 days, feels solid. It feels like the calendar finally finds its footing after the chaos of January’s "newness" and February’s weirdness.
How to use the March energy shift
Since we’ve established that March is the third month—but historically the first—you can actually use this to your advantage. Most people fail their New Year's resolutions by February. If you’re feeling like a failure because you haven't hit the gym or started that book, just pretend you’re an ancient Roman.
March is the real "start."
Practical steps for the March transition:
- Audit your "New Year" goals. Forget January. Treat the March equinox as your actual starting line. It’s much easier to start a new habit when the sun is actually out and you aren't freezing.
- Observe the 11-day gap. If you feel behind in life, remember that the British Empire literally deleted 11 days of history in 1752 just to get their dates right. You can afford a week of "reset" time.
- Check the "Ber" months. Look at the names September (7), October (8), November (9), and December (10). Let that be a reminder that March used to be the leader. It gives the month a bit more gravitas when you realize it was the anchor for the entire naming convention of the Western world.
- Align with the Equinox. Instead of a "New Year's Resolution," try a "Quarterly Pivot." March is the end of Q1. It’s the perfect time to look at your bank statements and your calendar to see if the first three months of the year actually went where you wanted them to go.
March isn't just a number on a page. It’s a survivor of calendar wars, religious shifts, and astronomical adjustments. Whether you call it the third month or the first, it’s the bridge between the dormant winter and the active spring.
Stop worrying about being "three months into the year" and start looking at March as the point where the year actually begins to move. The Romans had it right: it’s time to stop hibernating and start marching.