Greetings and welcome back! The Spread’s March 2016 Issue is finally here and we think it’s safe to say that it’s quite an eventful one. March brought about the resurgence of St. Patrick’s Day, Election Season, the Grammys, the Champaign Marathon, New York Fashion Week, UIUC’s upcoming midterm craze, and alas, the always welcomed spring break. Another round of incredible stories cover all these topics, from our preparation guide to marathon participation and the return of March Madness to mouthwatering St. Patrick’s Day recipes and our very own midterm survival guide.
Spring has been celebrated throughout human history as a time of organic and spiritual rebirth following the “dying of the year” in winter. The temperature rises to a more bearable degree, opposing Mother Nature’s last few months of freezing surroundings. The leaves we saw fall and flowers we saw wilt are now budding into lush, green, picture-perfect plants. When spring rolls into our lives, we start to pick up the slack that winter instilled inside us. Aside from the weather’s transformations that occur in the spring season, we are transforming our lives too. Much of the mystery about March meaning and symbolism is solved when we discover the month is named after Mars. So what’s the big deal about Mars, and why is it associated with March? A paramount god of war to the Roman Empire–an empire structured upon many ardent ideas like conquest, heroism, battle and kin equates to standing resolute to a way of life. And so, Mars is the icon of these fiercely proud, patriotic and heroic qualities. March meaning embodies a kind of reigniting of the hearts and consciousness of humankind. This month we feel the initial kicks of spring from the deepest womb of Mother Earth. We are quickened…our soul- palettes are whetted for new conquest and bold assertion, and we set a course for forward momentum.
Check out what it’s really like to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, told through the eyes of a true Irish girl. Fashion fanatic? Be sure to be check up on our overview of this year’s ever-anticipated New York Fashion Week. If the awkward seasonal interlude preceding the warmer months is serving as a vexation to your wardrobe, read up on how to dress for the bipolar temps of March. Interested in becoming a tour guide or attending UIUC next fall? Stop by our Q/A with our very own tour guides on campus. Make sure to keep your sanity with our midterm survival guide, stay informed with our tutorial on becoming a registered voter and be inspired from our spring break productivity manual. Just as March brings about the peak of a new season, we hope you too will learn the importance of embracing and adapting to change over time. After battling that last winter, you sure deserve it.
Happy reading!
With love,
Hana Hong, EIC
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