Superstition: Beware THE IDES OF MARCH
By Desiree Fasulo

The Ides of March is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, which is the 15th of March. It was marked by several religions and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts.

The Ides of March is known as a superstitious date in March. The Ides of March is the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting of the Senate and as many as 60 people conspired against him, led by Brutus and Cassius, were involved.

Now, people see The Ides of March as bad luck. However, before Julius Caesar’s death, the Ides of any month celebrated the first full moon in that month. In Rome, the Ides of March was usually a time for celebration, family gatherings, and even parades, but now, it’s seen as an unlucky day.

Today, the saying “Beware the Ides of March” is used as a general warning to be cautious of danger, and to be safe.

However, the Ides of March can be seen just as any other superstition, such as ‘black cats are bad luck’ ‘Friday the 13th is an unlucky day’ ‘Opening an umbrella inside a house gives you bad luck’ etc. Some people believe in these superstitions deeply, while others just brush them off.

One student I interviewed, Grace Hachey, said that she believes in them loosely, she wouldn’t bet everything based on superstition, but she wouldn’t say she doesn’t ignore it completely either. She said she most believes in the lucky superstitions-more specifically St. Patrick’s day being lucky.

Superstition has become a key part of our culture. There are more than 200 superstitions, but according to Heart Healthy, the most popular American superstition is throwing salt over your shoulder.

Spilling salt is said to bring bad fortune, so when you spill it, you should throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder, to cancel out the bad luck. The left shoulder is where the devil would be sitting, and when you throw the salt, you are throwing it in his eyes to keep him away.

Another student I interviewed, Kasey Rivera, said that she also believes in them. She said that she doesn’t strongly believe in them, but she can definitely blame something going wrong on it being Friday the 13th.

Oakmont freshman class president Brian Sandjong said that his family has a tradition where they believe if someone is sitting with their leg out and you cross it you will stop growing. The only way to reverse the effects is by crossing the leg back.

Overall, The Ides of March is a superstition, based on a historical event, and just like other superstitions, you can decide whether it is something you wish to believe in or not.