Lady Day

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis

March 25th is Lady Day, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin and the official start of the new year in a legal and calendar sense in Tudor England. In fact, it was the start of the new year in England until 1752 when 1st January became the official start.
In the Roman tradition, the New Year was celebrated on 1st January and ‘New Year’s gifts’ were given. Today in England, the calendar year starts on 1st January while the financial year starts on 6th April.
There is some confusion with the dates of events which took place between 1st January and 25th March in Tudor times, for example, Thomas Boleyn’s date of death is often cited as 12th March 1538 because he died before Lady Day of that year. In modern terms, he died on 12th March 1539 if we consider 1539 starting on 1st January. As if the Tudors had not confused us enough with  multiples of people named Thomas, Henry, Catherine, Elizabeth, Anne and Mary!

Do you know what the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin is?  It commemorates the day when the Angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus and the moment when ‘the Word became flesh’.