Yesterday, I was talking with a lady, whose parents are from Italy, about how happy I am that it’s finally March. She said, “Why?” I said because February is finally over. She said, “Marzo è pazzo”. It’s an Italian saying meaning “March is crazy”… you can never depend on March weather.
This same saying can be found in an Italian nursery rhyme about the months:
Gennaio con febbraio fa il paio
febbraietto freddo e maledetto,
marzo è pazzo,
aprile dolce dormire,
maggio è paggio,
giugno la falce in pugno,
luglio canta il cuculo,
agosto moglie mia non ti conosco,
settembre la notte al dì contende,
ottobre chi vuole si copre,
novembre all’inverno si arrende,
dicembre, davanti ti ghiaccia
e dietro t’offende.Here’s an English Translation:
January and February are a couple,
Little February, cursed and cold,
March is crazy,
April’s sweetly sleeping,
May is the valet,
June, the scythe in hand,
July, the cuckoo sings,
August, my wife, I don’t know you*,
September, the night fights the day**,
October, whoever wants covers himself up,
November surrenders to winter,
December, freezes you in the front
and batters you on the back.*Meaning that the husband is so busy with work in August that he doesn’t have a minute for his wife.
**Meaning that now the nights will last longer than the days.
Here are some interesting Italian proverbs about March (and April) with English translations:
Come marzo s’avvicina, tutti gli umori si risentono.
As March draws near, all moods are affected.Marzo cambia sette cappelli al giorno.
March changes seven hats a day.Marzo ha comprato la pelliccia a sua madre, ma tre giorni dopo l’ha venduta.
March bought the fur coat for his mother, but three days later sold it.Da marzo ad aprile c’è poco da dire.
From March to April there is little to say.Marzo pazzerello guarda il sole e prendi l’ombrello.
Crazy March, look at the sun and take an umbrella.Marzo tinge e Aprile dipinge
March dyes and April paintsNel marzo, un sole e un guazzo
In March, some sun and a puddle.
Watch out for that crazy March weather!
Thanks to Monique Palomares of the French version of Mama Lisa’s World for helping with the Italian!
Feel free to share any sayings you know about March, in any language, in the comments below.
Ciao!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, English, Fall, Gennaio con febbraio fa il paio, Italian, Italian Nursery Rhymes, Italian Proverbs, Italy, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes about April, Nursery Rhymes about Cloudy Weather, Nursery Rhymes about December, Nursery Rhymes about February, Nursery Rhymes about January, Nursery Rhymes about March, Nursery Rhymes about November, Nursery Rhymes about Spring, Nursery Rhymes about the Months, Nursery Rhymes about the Rain, Nursery Rhymes about the Weather, Nursery Rhymes about the Winter, Proverbs, Proverbs about April, Proverbs about March, Proverbs about the Months, Rain, Rhymes about Spring, Rhymes about Summer, Rhymes about the Seasons, Rhymes by Theme, Sayings, Seasonal, Snow, Spring, Summer, Weather, Windy, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
March 7th, 2010 at 8:40 am
* Marzo pazzerello: lascia la giacca, prendi l’ombrello
March crazy: leave your jacket, take an umbrella
In Italian:… Mostra tutto
umbrella rhymes with little mad
March 7th, 2010 at 8:45 am
1)Marzo, ogni villan va scalzo
March, every villan (agriculturist) goes barefoot
2)La nebbia di marzo non fa male, ma nel mese di aprile prende il pane e il vino
The fog of March does not hurt, but in April takes the bread and wine
3)Marzo Aprile bagnato e asciutto, benedirà l’agricoltore che ha seminato
March wet and dry April, the villan (agriculturist) is blessed who has sowed
4)Marzo ha comprato la pelliccia a sua madre, e tre giorni dopo e lo ha venduto
March has bought the coat to his mother, and three days later and has sold it
5)Marzo molle, grano per le zolle
March soft, wheat for the clods
6)Marzo non ha un giorno come gli altri
March does not have a day like the other
7)Marzo o buono o cattivo, il bue all’erba e il cane all’ombra
March or good or bad, the ox to the grass and the dog in the shade
8)Quando marzeggia marzo (fa quello che deve fare), aprile stand. (consente a tutti di nascere e crescere, fare picnic)
When March marzeggia (does what he must do) , April stands. (allows all to be be born and grow, picnicking)
9)Marzo dà il colore, vernici aprile, maggio fa le belle donne, e giugno è il ratto sporco
March gives the color, April paints, May makes the beautiful women, and June is the dirty rat.
March 7th, 2010 at 8:52 am
1)Marzo pazzo, uscire con il sole, portare l’ombrello
March crazy, go out with the sun, bring the umbrella
2)Vento di marzo non si esaurisce presto
March wind does not end soon
3)Marzo ventoso, frutteto maestoso
Windy March, majestic orchard
4)Le api sagge in marzo sono ancora dormendo
The bees wise in March are still asleep
5)Al primo tuono di marzo tutti i serpenti escononudi, e se ne hanno, porta loro un po ‘più al di là
At the first thunder of March all the snakes come out
6)A volte si pensa di trovare il sole, ed è la luna di marzo
Sometimes you think to find out the sun, and is the moon of March
7)Chi, del mese di marzo, non ha la potatura sua vigna, perde la vendemmia
Who, in March, didn’t pruned his vineyard, harvest loses
8)Chi, del mese di marzo, non ha le scarpe, va a piedi, e se ne hanno, porta loro un po ‘più al di là
Whom, of March, does not have shoes, goes barefoot, and if they have them , port their a little more beyond
March 7th, 2024 at 12:38 pm
do you or have you ever heard of the italian poem about march it goes something like this march is crazy it rains and is winding when it descends on you everybody goes crazy……. my father asked me to find and i haven’t had any luck thanks don