Once in a while, when people ask when I am due and I say, "March 15th," they follow up with, "Ooh, the Ides of March!"
Huh? I have heard of the Ides of March
Once in a while, when people ask when I am due and I say, "March 15th," they follow up with, "Ooh, the Ides of March!"
Huh? I have heard of the Ides of March, but before this morning, my knowledge stopped there. I decided to do some research.
And now for today's history lesson. :)
On the ancient Roman calendar, there were 45 public festivals (talk about days off galore!), as well as the "ides" of each month. In March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th. In all other months, the ides were on the 13th. In addition to ides, there were "kalends" and "nones." The kalends were the 1st of every month. The nones fell on the 7th day in March, May, July, and October, and the 5th in all other months. Until 44 BC, "The ides of March" was just a standard way of saying "March 15th."
Then came the fateful day--March 15, 44 BC. Julius Caesar was murdered in the senate. This e