What to Celebrate March 19 thru 25, 2018
Celebrations Ideas for March 19 – 25
Spring starts this week! So exciting. Although some parts of the U.S. may be wondering if spring weather will ever arrive.
But never fear, the weather will get warmer. Meanwhile, we have chocolate, chocolate caramel, and chocolate covered raisins to enjoy. Are you sensing a theme here? Plus some other yummy days.
We also have serious celebrations. Like saving the vaquita, honoring nurses, and spreading awareness of Down Syndrome, among others.
We celebrate sparrows & puppies. And we learn how to avoid poisoning our pets.
We can’t forget a little silliness, with alien abductions and goofing off.
Plus much more. So take a look & mark your calendar for your favorite days.
And of course, enjoy!
Celebrate For the Rest of March
There’s still plenty of time left this month to learn about women in history and sing with your child.
And if you’ve never heard of the Vaquita, this little porpoise desperately needs our help to survive. If it’s not already too late.
Women’s History Month: American history has tended to focus on the men who built the country. But women have also made significant contributions. So in March we focus on them, the women who also helped shape our nation. The women who deserve just as much recognition as the men.
Save the Vaquita Month: The vaquita, a species of porpoise, has always been rare. And endangered for years, which is the reason for Save the Vaquita Day in July and Save the Vaquita Month in March. But in 2017 news broke there were fewer than 30 left. A plan was hatched to capture them & move them to a sanctuary area, but things didn’t go as planned.
Sing With Your Child Month: Music Together, LLC created this month to emphasize the importance of music in supporting a child’s creativity, self-confidence, and development.
Weekly Celebrations For March’s 3rd Full Week
Mmmmm … chocolate. A delightful treat to savor all week. But not for your pets! It can be lethal for both dogs & cats. And that’s your 1st lesson for National Animal Poison Prevention Week.
Meanwhile, acting happy all week should be much easier while nibbling on rich, luscious chocolate. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
American Chocolate Week (March 18 – 24): We don’t have to tell you how to celebrate this one, do we? Everything chocolate! All week! Get some recipe ideas here.
National Animal Poison Prevention Week (March 19 – 25): You probably already know you need to keep young children away from household poisons. But what about your pets? They can be just as curious as kids. And what’s worse, some foods and plants that are perfectly safe for us can kill our pets. So it pays to learn what things can hurt our furry babies! And always keep the numbers for the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4453) handy, just in case.
Act Happy Week (March 19 – 25): This celebration starts on the 3rd Monday in March. And of course the name says it all: Act Happy. All week! The premise here is by acting happy you will feel happier. There is actually some scientific evidence for this. For example, way back in 2009 studies suggested that smiling can make you feel happy, and not frowning can make you feel less unhappy. Need some “act happy” ideas? These happiness week posts can get you started.
Celebration Days Coming Up For March 19 thru March 25
In case you missed it, this week is chock full of chocolate! During Chocolate Week we’re also adding it to caramel & covering raisins with it. In other food celebrations there’s pecans (not necessarily covered in chocolate, but that sounds devine!). And tamales. And chia seeds.
We also honor certified nurses & Medal of Honor recipients.
The International Day of Happiness fits right in with Act Happy Week. Although Alien Abduction Day could throw a wrench in your happiness if you were hoping to be abducted but aren’t.
We also celebrate sparrows, colour, water, and forests. Plus the goddess of fertility, agriculture, and puppies. Puppies!
March 19:
National Chocolate Caramel Day: A deliciously sweet, creamy, gooey day. Indulge in the perfect taste combo: chocolate and caramel!
Goddess of Fertility Day: This day apparently has its roots in the ancient practice of making offerings to Aphrodite (or another god/goddess of fertility) in the days before the Spring Equinox. These days we celebrate Aphrodite/Isis/Venus, etc. one day before the Spring Equinox. Although we (probably) don’t actually expect them to bless us with a child.
Certified Nurses Day: This day honors certified nurses everywhere who strive for excellence by maintaining nursing’s highest credentials. The date honors Dr. Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, an early leader in nursing certification, born on March 19, 1930.
March 20:
International Day of Happiness: A day to help create more happiness for yourself and the rest of the world. Because everybody deserves all the happiness they can handle.
World Sparrow Day: This day celebrates the common House Sparrow … which sadly has become less common in recent years. The Nature Forever Society of India created the day to highlight this trend and encourage celebration of the relationship between sparrows and people.
Alien Abduction Day: Also called Extraterrestrial Abduction Day, this is apparently the day the little green men/greys/lizard people/whoever descend on the earth and pick a lucky few abductees. We’re not sure who picked the March 20 date … possibly the ETs themselves? Nonetheless, it’s probably best to be prepared just in case they pick you!
National Agriculture Day: This day celebrates the role of agriculture in our society. And it plays a bigger role than you might think. It’s not just about growing plants for food. It also includes raising animals for food and even the plants & animal products used to make clothes, like cotton and wool.
March 21:
World Down Syndrome Day: Learn more about Down Syndrome & the people living with it. And help others understand it too.
International Colour Day: Yes, “colour,” with a “u.” Why? Because it’s an international day. And the day’s creator, the International Colour Association spells it that way. (The National Day of Color, a US holiday in October, spells it the American way). The day celebrates color as “… one of the most influential phenomena in people’s lives.” Celebrating is simple: Have a colourful day!
International Day of Forests: Held for the 1st time in 2013, this day recognizes the importance of the world’s forests.
March 22:
International Goof Off Day: A fun, frivolous day to do whatever your heart desires! Call off work if you can manage it and just goof off. Or at least try to leave early to have a little fun.
World Water Day: On the 21st we celebrate the importance of trees & the forest. The very next day we celebrate another vital resource: water. This year’s theme is “Nature for Water,” encouraging us to look to nature for solutions to our water problems.
March 23:
National Puppy Day: Celebrate puppies! Sweet, wriggly little bundles of joy that give unconditional love. But the day isn’t just to love on puppies. It’s also to raise awareness of the horrible conditions those pet store puppies’ parents live in. So adopt your next little bundle of furry joy.
National Chia Day: Yes, we’re celebrating the chia seed. A tiny seed with surprisingly big nutritional value. If you’ve never tried them, today might be a good day to do that!
National Tamale Day: Tamales! Need we say more? If you’ve ever eaten them, the answer is no. If you haven’t, well fix that! And today’s the perfect day to learn what you’ve been missing.
March 24:
Chocolate Covered Raisins Day: More sweet, chocolaty goodness on the menu today! Snack on, cook with, or bake with chocolate covered raisins today.
Earth Hour: Turn off any nonessential lights for one hour tonight, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. This symbolizes your commitment to helping create a sustainable world. (No, tonight’s not the last Saturday in March, but the hour’s official website tells us it’s on March 24 this year).
Be Mad Day: Apparently you’re supposed to be mad today? Although we’re not sure if “mad” means “angry” or “crazy.” That would probably depend on where the day started. Because using mad to mean crazy is more of a British thing. But we haven’t found much information about the day. We actually rather prefer to be crazy, though. Not as in mentally ill, of course. But just doing something a little crazy, a bit out of the ordinary or something you wouldn’t normally do.
March 25:
Pecan Day: Now, don’t confuse this day with National Pecan Day in April or National Pecan Cookie Day in September. This Pecan Day celebrates the day George Washington planted pecan trees at Mount Vernon in 1775. But you don’t have to plant trees to celebrate this delicious day. Just eat pecans … by themselves, on a salad, in a cookie … it’s all good!
Old New Year’s Day: So the day to celebrate the new year depends on the calendar you’re following. Of course these days we all use the Gregorian calendar, at least for most of our day-to-day lives. But the older calendars still give us some celebrations. Like this one. In the Annunciation style calendar the new year falls on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25. But don’t confuse this with the other Old New Year (Orthodox New Year), which is on January 14. … Confused yet?
National Medal of Honor Day: This day commemorates all Medal of Honor recipients. It is the anniversary of the first Medal of Honor presentations on March 25, 1863.
