The color blue takes on special meaning in the month of March. As winter turns to spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the landscape begins to transform. Icy blues give way to brighter azures as the sunlight strengthens. Skies get bluer, and the first glimpses of blue flowers start to emerge. The blue of March represents renewal, rebirth, and the promise of warmer days ahead.
In this article, we’ll explore the diverse shades of blue found in March and what they symbolize. From the blue skies overhead to the blue waters below, we’ll cover common March blues in nature, culture, and art. We’ll examine how light and weather influence blue hues at this time of year. And we’ll learn why blue holds such significance as winter transitions to spring.
So what is the color blue in March? It’s the blue of crisp, clear skies. It’s the blue of melting glaciers and ice. It’s the blue of emerging hyacinths and scillas in the garden. It’s the blue of anticipation and change. Join us as we investigate the meanings behind March’s bounty of blues.
Blue Skies
One of the most prominent blues of March is the blue sky overhead. As the sun shines stronger and days lengthen, the sky takes on a richer, deeper blue. The more direct angle of the sunlight scatters shorter wavelengths of light, eliminating hues like yellow and green and leaving us with a pure blue sky.
In the colder months when the sun sits lower in the sky, blue light scatters more easily while yellow and orange wavelengths penetrate the atmosphere better. This is why winter skies often look more pale or gray. But as March brings warmer weather, blue light scatters more uniformly, creating those iconic vivid March skies.
The blue skies of March have inspired artists and poets for centuries. Vincent van Gogh captured swirling March skies in many of his paintings, like his famous The Starry Night. Poet Sara Teasdale wrote of “the blue of March sunshine” in her poem March, depicting the changing skies as a metaphor for hope and renewal.
When we gaze up at March’s cobalt sky, we inherently feel promise and optimism ahead. The bright azure overhead lifts our spirits and marks nature’s transition into spring.
Melting Ice and Snow
Another important March blue is the blue of melting snow and ice. As temperatures climb above freezing, once solid wintry blues transform into flowing, dripping hues.
Ice contains very little air, making it appear opaque with a deep blue tint. But as it melts, air pockets form within it. The increased air scatters more light, causing the melting ice to take on a lighter, brighter blue. Next time you see icicles or snow banks glistening in March, notice how their blues become more vivid and energetic as they start to melt.
The blue runoff from March snowmelt gathers in streams, lakes, and ponds, dramatically altering landscapes. Kawabata Yasunari described these blues in his novel Snow Country, writing “the blue of the melting snows of March”. This runoff provides nourishment and refreshment for the earth as it awaits spring.
Melting glaciers and ice caps also showcase March’s blues. As warmer air and sun erodes the ice, chunks break off into vivid aqua and sapphire hues. Recent climate change has caused many of the world’s glaciers to start melting earlier in March and other spring months compared to historical trends.
Emerging Blue Flowers
One of the first floral blues of spring comes from early bloomers like scillas and hyacinths. These bulb flowers start emerging in March, often sprouting up through lingering snow.
| Flower | Blue Shades |
|---|---|
| Scilla | Violet-blue |
| Hyacinth | Ranges from pale blue to indigo |
The vibrant blue of these early risers provides a welcome dose of color as winter fades away. They remind us warmer weather is on the horizon. Other popular blue flowering bulbs waking up in March are bluebells, grape hyacinths, and Glory-of-the-snow.
March Gemstones
There are two blue birthstones associated with March: aquamarine and sapphire. Aquamarine ranges from pale to deep blue, reminiscent of the ocean. Its name means “water of the sea” in Latin. Legend says aquamarine has calming effects, perfect for March as we transition out of winter. Sapphires also come in a spectrum of March’s blues. Their intense hue symbolizes wisdom, loyalty, and healing.
| March Birthstone | Blue Shades |
|---|---|
| Aquamarine | Pale to deep blue |
| Sapphire | Vivid blue to indigo |
In the jewelry world, blue gemstones represent new life and rebirth – fitting for March as winter gives way to spring. Blue topaz is another March birthstone option that captures the blues of a sunny March sky.
March Holidays and Traditions
March’s blue hues show up prominently in several springtime holidays and traditions.
For St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, blue is one of the symbolic colors. Along with green, it references the hue found in Ireland’s geology, scenery, and national flag. Cornflowers, one of Ireland’s native wildflowers, are a vibrant blue adding to this heritage.
Holi, the Hindu festival of colors celebrated in March, features vibrant blue powders called gulal. People throw these blue pigments in the air to welcome spring and signify the blue skies ahead. In Persian culture, there’s Nowruz, the New Year festival in March filled with blue symbolic items like the Haft-Seen table setting.
Easter is also in March some years. It’s full of blue eggs, bunnies, and bonnets, representing tranquility, peace and harmony. Paired with spring’s pastels, blue Easter adornments celebrate rebirth.
March in Art and Literature
Many works of art and literature link March with a bounty of blues. As Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night depicts, the post-Impressionists used thick, swirling brushstrokes of blues to portray March nights. Claude Monet captured melting blues in March landscapes like Breakup of the Ice. Georgia O’Keeffe painted blue hyacinths, one of March’s first blooms.
Poems like Sara Teasdale’s March and T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land describe March skies “turning blue” and “April…mixing memory and desire”. March poems resonate with blue’s symbolism of new beginnings.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby stares at the blue lawn and romanticizes Daisy’s blue eyes and gardens. Fitzgerald uses blue to represent Gatsby’s longing and dreams in the March setting.
March Weather Patterns
Maritime weather patterns contribute to March’s signature blues. In coastal areas, high March tides corresponded with the moon’s closeness to earth, along with melting snow adding more volume to oceans. These expanded blue tides crash dramatically against shorelines.
Longer sunlight exposure warms the ocean’s surface, but deeper waters remain frigid from winter. This temperature difference intensifies the blue color of the ocean through absorption and scattering of light. March’s cooler weather also means less water vapor in the air to obstruct blue wavelengths.
Inland, March is a battleground between lingering winter and encroaching spring. Dramatic weather including thunderstorms, hail, flooding, and even blizzards cycle through as Arctic fronts clash with warmer air. The turbulent atmosphere generates more extreme blues both in skies and on the ground.
Blue in March Fashion and Décor
March fashion and home décor fully embrace the blue hues of the season. With spring on the horizon but winter not yet gone, March style strikes a balance.
Soft powder blue and icy blues contrast with navy and cobalt reflecting March’s dynamic skies. Paler blues evoke individual snowflakes, while bolder blues conjure melting ice and rivers. Silvery blues team up with winter grays, while vivid blues support spring pastels.
March home décor also incorporates icy, transitional blues. Cerulean and teal toss pillows add pops of color alongside evergreen and ivory accents. Tableware and linens in March blue hues evoke liveliness and renewal for the imminent spring. Cool blues create a soothing mood for restless minds anticipating change.
Blue Foods and Drinks
From blueberries to blue raspberry flavor, March’s food and drink options reflect the blue vibes of the month. Blue-hued fruits and antioxidants like blueberries suit the transitional nature of March. Foods and beverages take on more color as winter produce gives way to spring choices like hydrangeas and hyacinths blooming in blue tones.
Some examples of blues found in March menus:
| Food/Drink | Blue Shades |
|---|---|
| Blueberries | Purple-blue |
| Blue raspberry ice pops | Vibrant blue |
| Blue velvet cake | Deep blue |
| Blue curaçao cocktails | Azure blue |
Blue foods and drinks provide an easy way to integrate March’s core blues into snacks, meals, and beverages. They let us literally consume the essence of March as winter thaws into spring.
Conclusion
March’s diverse blues paint our world as part of the seasonal transition from winter to spring. Lighter blues emerge in the skies, gemstones, and early flowers while deeper blues melt across the landscape. We track the changing blues to gauge the progress of spring and find optimism in nature’s renewal.
Blue takes on many March meanings: calm, connection, intuition, hope, energy. Lighter March blues invite trust and healing. Navy March blues instill confidence and resilience. Blue in March bridges the old with the new. As Ray Stannard Baker wrote, “No color is more connected with March than blue—the blue of windy skies, of sapphire melting snows.”
So when we think of the color blue in March, we feel the promise found in transitional times. We sense the melting away of former shades and the blossoming of brighter days soon to arrive. All of March’s many blues lead us to renewal ahead.
