On March 25, 1635, the Ark and the Dove hit landfall on the east coast of North America. The land they hit would become the state of Maryland today.
Since 1903, the state officially recognizes March 25 as “Maryland Day,” celebrated across the state to commemorate the landing nearly 400 years ago. This day is an important opportunity to recognize and celebrate the unique culture and history of Maryland.
Maryland is the only state to be founded by Catholics. “So Maryland was founded as a haven for Catholics. That’s why it’s named Mary-land, after Queen Mary the only Catholic Queen of the British islands,” history teacher Nathaniel Mason said.
Since then, Maryland has garnered a reputation for its immense pride: Maryland seems to boast one of the proudest resident bases in the United States. RM students express pride in their state too.
The vibrant yellow, red, black, and white Maryland flag is a staple of Maryland pride. “Top three US state flags. Yeah. Number two. I think that the people in Maryland are very proud…I don’t think any other state has clothes with a flag on it,” junior Maggie McLoughlin said.
Marylanders are famous for donning the flag on clothing, capes, and everything else. “Obviously the flag is fantastic. I think we probably have the best five in the nation. If not, you know in the world,” junior Takumi Gerhartz said.
Along with its flag, Maryland is well-known for its connection to crabs, as they are a staple in Maryland cuisine. The most popular seasoning for crabs is Old Bay, a salty spice blend whose branding has become synonymous with Maryland and can be seen on clothing and souvenirs as well.
“Old Bay is fire. It’s one of the best seasonings ever invented. And it should be mandatory consumption for all Marylanders at least once a week or so, if not more,” Mr. Mason said.
Maryland Day is a celebration of specific practices and the culture that Marylanders are so proud of. While there are many ways to enjoy the state, an understated activity it is to go outside and enjoy the landscape.
“There’s lots of different biomes and stuff. You know, if you go on the Eastern Shore, it’s nice and flat, and a lot of farming and agriculture there. If you head over to Western Maryland in the Appalachians, there’s a lot of really cool hikes and trails and mountains over there,” Mr. Mason said. “If you’re in the middle, there’s all sorts of stuff right we’ve got the Piedmont Plateau up in Baltimore County. You get some cool like geological pictures and stuff like that.”
Maryland Day has its own website, where you can see the festivities across the state planned for this year, and local locations also have their own stuff going on. One RM Student also has their own interesting plan.
“I’ll probably pray to my Maryland altar and eat some nice Old Bay,” Gerhartz said.
Maryland Day provides an opportunity for residents to better their community and improve the state which we live and go to school in. Going into the local community, volunteering at a local Maryland nonprofi or cleaning up a local natural habitat are all vital ways in which you can spend the day. Mr. Mason particularly highlights importance of that. “If you want Maryland to be a great place, you got to reinvest, help out or your community, help out folks that call Maryland home. Because wherever we’re from originally, we’re all in this together,” he said.
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