We've all heard the saying that if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. It's a phrase we may have even passed on to our children. But where did this saying actually come from?

Long ago, people held the belief that bad spirits could influence the weather. They believed in balance, both in weather and in life. So, if a month started off rough and fierce (like a roaring lion), it was expected to end peacefully and calm (like a gentle lamb), according to the Old Farmers Almanac.

Another interesting theory ties the saying to the stars. The constellation Leo, representing the Lion, rises in the East during sunset, while the stars of Aries, symbolizing the Ram or Lamb, begin to disappear in the Sun's light as we look towards the West. By the end of the month, the stars of Aries will completely "go out" with the Sun. With this astronomical connection, we can truly say that March starts with a Lion and ends with a lamb, as pointed out by IPR.

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The oldest written record of this saying can be found in the book "Gnomologia: Adages and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British" by English author Thomas Fuller in 1732. This demonstrates that the saying has been around for nearly 300 years, if not longer!

 

If you'd like to see what The Old Farmers Almanac is forecasting for our spring weather, you'll find that here.

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