Despite what the weatherman has to say about tonight, this morning in Boston is sunny, bright and mild. March has come in like a lamb. Being born in the Year of the Sheep, I tend to be fond of lamb associations, but I realized I had no idea where March's lamb and lion folkore began.

The phrase apparently has its origins with the constellations Leo, the Lion, and Aries, the Ram (or lamb), and the relative positions of these constellations in the sky at the beginning and end of the month.

This great illustrative cartoon comes from Jack Horkheimer: Stargazer.

Of course, in most places the weather at the end of March is warmer than at the beginning, so common sense led people to use the phrase to describe weather conditions. A little creative license (and the whims of Mother Nature) and suddenly you've got Aries coming before Leo!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:45 AM