Thanks to all who have participated in the Give Us A Clue contest in Crossed Wires over the past few months. We’ve been offered hundreds of excellent suggestions. Remember to look out for your definitions as clues in upcoming crosswords. We’re giving you a well-deserved break but we may bring back Give Us A Clue in the future.
This month’s Acrostic is about the origins of February. In ancient Rome, February was the last month of the year and at times only had 23 or 24 days. The name comes from the Latin word februum meaning ‘purification’ The year started with March, the first month of spring and more importantly in those days, the start of the military campaign season. March was named after Mars the Roman god of war.
Mars was considered to be the father of Romulus and Remus, the joint founders of Rome. It was believed that all Romans were descended from Mars.
The first day of March is also St David’s Day when the Welsh people commemorate the day their patron saint died, in the year 589. St David was a gentle man, teacher and preacher who practised ascetism. He was made Archbishop and spread Christianity throughout Wales. He and his fellow monks lived a simple life, surviving on bread and water no meat or beer.
During his last sermon, made when he was over 100 years old, he said Do the little things in life which has become a very well-known phrase in Wales and has been an inspiration to many.
Happy Puzzling!
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