Modern Date : February 1st | Market Day |
This is one of the
dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting
could take place.
February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.
|
Modern Date : February 2nd | Market Day |
This is one of the
dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting
could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days of religious
ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the Spring and
its associated fertility.
February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.
Juno (Hera) was the mother of Mars, called Ares by the Greeks, and sometimes
Enyalius. Ares was often accompanied in his bloody campaigns by Enyo,
the murderess goddess of war who was known as Bellona by the Romans.
Ares paid no attention to which cause was right or wrong and was concerned
only with where he could cause maximum carnage. The Romans held a milder,
more honorable view of Mars, honoring him as the son of Zeus and the
father of Romulus. |
Modern Date : February 3rd | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility. February is a month sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter. Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars was known to the Greeks as Ares, the god of war. The war god was wild and ungovernable, a god who glorified in strife for its own sake and revelled in slaughter. He was thought to gloat over the death and destruction he caused. He was typically accompanied by his two sons Deimos (Fear or Terror) and Phobos (Dismay or Flight from Fear). The Romans held a milder, more honorable view of Mars, honoring him as the son of Zeus and the father of Romulus. Juno, also called Saturnia and known as Hera by the Greeks, was the daughter of Cronus (Saturn) and regarded as a paragon of motherly virtues. She was the divinity of sacred marriage and childbirth, and was prone to violent wrath at every violation of her marriage bed with Zeus. February is also a month in which particular reverence was shown to the spirits of deceased ancestors. This was a month devoted to fertility, both of men and women, and of the land, and celebration of the coming Spring. In Greece, this was the third and final day on which they celebrated the Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries. Many Romans sought admittance to these mysteries, incuding Marcus Aurelius, who succeeded, and Nero, who did not. Cicero, who succeeded, implied of the rites of Eleusis that "...they seem to be a recognition of the powers of Nature rather than the power of God." |
Modern Date : February 4th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility.
Septimius Severus
died at York in England this day in 211 AD, after a long illness. He
was 65. Caracalle succeeded him as emperor this day. |
Modern Date : February 5th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility.
The rex sacrorum would appear
on the steps of the Capitol on this day and announce to the people what
days of the months would be holidays. |
Modern Date : February 6th | Market Day |
This is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the Spring and its associated fertility. February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.
Juno (Hera) was the mother of Mars, called Ares by the Greeks, and sometimes
Enyalius. Ares was often accompanied in his bloody campaigns by Enyo,
the murderess goddess of war who was known as Bellona by the Romans.
Ares paid no attention to which cause was right or wrong and was concerned
only with where he could cause maximum carnage. |
Modern Date : February 7th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility. February is a month sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter. It is also a month in which particular reverence was shown to the spirits of deceased ancestors. On this day in 457 AD the Eastern Roman emperor Marcian died and was replaced by a Thracian officer named Leo. In Greece, this day was celebrated as the Day of Selene (or day of Semele) and in Athens was called the Lenaea. The name Semele is a version of Selene, Helen, meaning 'moon' and Semele was the daughter of Cadmus. The Lenaea was celebrated at Athens as the Festival of Wild Women. In this festival a yearling bull, representing Dionysius, was sacrificed to Semele and cut into nine pieces. One piece was burned and the rest was feasted on. The nine pieces represented the original number of orgiastic moon-priestesses who presided over the ceremonies. The rites involved the nine priestesses dancing around a statue in the temple, probably followed by an orgy. |
Modern Date : February 8th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility.
February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.
Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars was known to the Greeks as
Ares, the god of war. The war god was wild and ungovernable, a god who
glorified in strife for its own sake and revelled in slaughter. He was
thought to gloat over the death and destruction he caused. He was typically
accompanied by his two sons Deimos (Fear or Terror) and Phobos (Dismay
or Flight from Fear). The Romans held a milder, more honorable view
of Mars, honoring him as the son of Zeus and the father of Romulus.
|
Modern Date : February 9th | Market Day |
This is one of the dies
nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting could
take place. The dies nefasti of February were days of religious ceremony
honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the Spring and its associated
fertility.
February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.Juno
(Hera) was the mother of Mars, called Ares by the Greeks, and sometimes
Enyalius. Ares was often accompanied in his bloody campaigns by Enyo,
the murderess goddess of war who was known as Bellona by the Romans.
Ares paid no attention to which cause was right or wrong and was concerned
only with where he could cause maximum carnage. |
Modern Date : February 10th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place. The dies nefasti of February were days
of religious ceremony honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the
Spring and its associated fertility.
February is a month sacred
to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife of Jupiter.
It is also a month in which particular reverence was shown to the spirits
of deceased ancestors. This was a month devoted to fertility, both of
men and women, and of the land. |
Modern Date : February 11th | Market Day |
This
is one of the dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action
or public voting could take place.
|
Modern Date : February 12th | Market Day |
This is one of the dies
nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting could
take place. The dies nefasti of February were days of religious ceremony
honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the Spring and its associated
fertility.
On this day the Greeks, and
many Romans, would celebrate the Festival of Artemis, Goddess of the
Moon. She had been known to the Romans as Luna from antiquity but came
to be called Diana in her earthly manifestation as the Goddess of Hunting.
Diana was often called Diana Lucifera, Diana the Bringer of Light. The
Greeks knew her as Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, and daughter
of Zeus and Leto. She was born under Mount Cynthus in Delos and hence
was also called Cynthia and Delia. She carried a bow and quiver like
her brother, and was especially fond of music and dance. Diana was never
conquered by love, and submitted to no man, hence she was the goddess
of a "chaste" moon and, except for her family, tolerated only female
companions. Her priestesses were all chaste and this festival was celebrated
with daily music and dance until the kalends of June. The hunter Actaeon
happened across her bathing one day and became the only man to ever
see Diana naked. He paid with his life. |
Modern Date : February 13th | Market Day |
This day (NP), is
for special religious observance.
The Parentalia was a celebratory
period in which ancestors were honored. It lasted from February 13 through
the 21st. The temples would all be closed during this period. Offerings
of small amounts of wine, bread, a sprinling of salt, or flowers were
made at the tombs. |
Modern Date : February 14th | Market Day |
This is one of the dies
nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting could
take place. The dies nefasti of February were days of religious ceremony
honoring the dead and heralding the rebirth of the Spring and its associated
fertility.
The Parentalia was a celebratory
period in which ancestors were honored. It lasted from February 13 through
the 21st. The temples would all be closed during this period. Offerings
of small amounts of wine, bread, a sprinling of salt, or flowers were
made at the tombs. |
Modern Date : February 15th | Market Day |
This day (NP), is
for special religious observance.
The Lupercalia is the ceremonial
climax of the dies nefasti preceding this day. This was a time of purification
and religious celebration. As with the rest of the month of February,
the object of much of the ceremony was the remembrance and honor of
deceased ancestors, as well as the celebration of fertility and the
coming Spring. Luper relates to lupus, or the wolf which popular myth
held had reared Romulus and Remus |
Modern Date : February 16th | Market Day |
This is one of then
endotercisus (EN), on which mornings could be for voting and afternoons
not, or vice-versa.
The first half
of the day, the morning, being dies fasti and belonging to the Lupercalia
celebration, and the afternoon or evening being dies nefasti, and belonging
to the Quirinalia. It is therefore a day sacred to both Mars, as Romulus,
and Juno, the female counterpart of Jupiter. The celebration of both
ancestors and fertility continued on this day.
|
Modern Date : February 17th | Market Day |
This
day (NP), is for special religious observance.
The Quirinalia
is a holiday devoted to Mars, in the form known as Quirinus. This was
not the warlike Mars, but an alter-ego embodied in the more father-like
ancestral figure of Romulus. The celebration of the Quirinalia was a
special devotion of the people who lived on one of seven hills of Rome
still called by the same name today, the Quirinal. |
Modern Date : February 18th | Market Day |
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars was known to the
Greeks as Ares, the god of war. The war god was wild and ungovernable,
a god who glorified in strife for its own sake and revelled in slaughter.
He was thought to gloat over the death and destruction he caused. He
was typically accompanied by his two sons Deimos (Fear or Terror) and
Phobos (Dismay or Flight from Fear).
|
Modern Date : February 19th | Market Day |
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. Juno (Hera) was the mother of Mars, called Ares by the Greeks,
and sometimes Enyalius. Ares was often accompanied in his bloody campaigns
by Enyo, the murderess goddess of war who was known as Bellona by the
Romans.
|
Modern Date : February 20th | Market Day |
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. It is also a month in which particular reverence was shown
to the spirits of deceased ancestors. This was a month devoted to fertility,
both of men and women, and of the land, and celebration of the coming
Spring.
|
This is the last
day of the Parentalia and the temples would be opened at noon.The Feralia
is a religious holiday sacred to Jupiter, whose surname was Feretrius.
On this day the ongoing celebrations forming part of the dies parentalis
and the tempus religiosum came to a close.
This day provided
a one-day breather between the religious celebrations of the month and
was called the cara cognatio, or Caristia, which means the day of grace
or care but could be translated as "Family Love Day". On this day Roman
fathers would pay special attention to their own families. This was
a family thanksgiving celebration without any particular religious significance,
which in that regard, is essentially the same as our own.
This day, the Terminalia,
is the last day of the sacral year, or the annual cycle of religious
holidays. Ovid says the rites of the Terminalia form the close of all
others. The rites of the Terminalia included ceremonial renewal and
mutual recognition of the boundary stone, the marker between properties.
A garland would be laid on this marker by all parties to the land so
divided. After kindling a fire, honey-cakes, fruits and wine would be
offered and shared, and songs of praise to the god called Terminus would
be sung. Terminus was considered to have the appearance of stone and
was often honored with the placement of a large stone at the boundaries,
much as farmers do today in various countries. With this feast, the
year as a whole comes to an end, as the Roman new year began traditionally
on March 1st.
Little is known
about this holiday except that it was a festival for men, not gods,
and symbolized the end of the old year. The old Roman New Year began
on March 1st (Mardi Gras or Carnival). Speculation suggests this was
considered an unlucky day, or a taboo day for pursuing any kind of business,
perhaps because the gods could not be consulted.
Being at the end
of the original Roman year, and preceding New Year's Day on March 1st,
made this and the following days especially representative of rebirth,
renewal and full of the promise of the coming Spring.
Being at the end
of the original Roman year, and preceding New Year's Day on March 1st,
made this and the following days especially representative of rebirth,
renewal and full of the promise of the coming Spring.
This day had a religious
and military significance, and rites were performed involving purification
of the army. This day is sacred to Mars, as is the whole month of February.
This is the first Equirria, the second being on March 14th. And again,
being at the end of the original Roman year, and preceding New Year's
Day on March 1st, made this and the following days especially representative
of rebirth, renewal and full of the promise of the coming Spring.
Being at the end
of the original Roman year, and preceding New Year's Day on March 1st,
made this day especially representative of rebirth, renewal and full
of the promise of the coming Spring. This evening would be the Roman
equivalent of New Year's Eve.
Modern Date : February 21st
Market Day
The
Feralia
This
is one of the dies fasti (F), on which legal actions are permitted.
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. Juno (Hera) was the mother of Mars, called Ares by the Greeks,
and sometimes Enyalius. Ares was often accompanied in his bloody campaigns
by Enyo, the murderess goddess of war who was known as Bellona by the
Romans. Ares paid no attention to which cause was right or wrong and
was concerned only with where he could cause maximum carnage. The Romans
held a milder, more honorable view of Mars, honoring him as the son
of Zeus and the father of Romulus.
In Egypt, this was the
Day of Nut. She was the goddess of the sky and the heavens. The Egyptians
believed that the world had been created by a divine act of sex between
the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Of necessity, the goddess
Nut was on top, while Geb reclined.
Modern Date : February 22nd
Market Day
ante
diem VIII Kalendas March
The Caristia
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
Modern Date : February 23rd
Market Day
The
Terminalia
This day (NP), is for
special religious observance.
Modern Date : February 24th
Market Day
The
Regifugium
This is one of the
dies nefasti (N), a day on which no legal action or public voting
could take place.
According to the first
Roman Calendar, this was one of the two days of the year when the rex
sacrorum, or high priest, would appear in a public ceremony in the Forum.
He would perform sacred rites and trumpets, the purified Tubilustrum,
would be blown to herald his arrival in the Comitium.
On this day in 138 AD,
Antoninus was adopted as co-regent by Hadrian.
February is sacred to
Mars and to Juno, also called Saturnia. Known as Hera by the Greeks,
she was the daughter of Cronus (Saturn) and regarded as a paragon of
motherly virtues. She was the divinity of sacred marriage and childbirth,
and was prone to violent wrath at every violation of her marriage bed
with Zeus.
Modern Date : February 25th
Market Day
ante
diem V Kalendas March
Fifth Day to the Kalends of March
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
February is a month sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus)
and Juno, the wife of Jupiter. Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars
was known to the Greeks as Ares, the god of war. The war god was wild
and ungovernable, a god who glorified in strife for its own sake and
revelled in slaughter. He was thought to gloat over the death and destruction
he caused. He was typically accompanied by his two sons Deimos (Fear
or Terror) and Phobos (Dismay or Flight from Fear).
In Egypt, this day was
the Festival of Nut, or Nut's birthday.Nut was the Egyptian goddess
of the heavens.
Modern Date : February 26th
Market Day
ante
diem IV Kalendas March
Fourth Day to the Kalends of March
This is one of then
endotercisus (EN), on which mornings could be for voting and afternoons
not, or vice-versa.
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars was known to the
Greeks as Ares, the god of war. The war god was wild and ungovernable,
a god who glorified in strife for its own sake and revelled in slaughter.
He was thought to gloat over the death and destruction he caused.
On this day in 364 AD
Valentinian became the new emperor in Constantinople.
Juno, also called Saturnia
and known as Hera by the Greeks, was the daughter of Cronus (Saturn)
and regarded as a paragon of motherly virtues. She was the divinity
of sacred marriage and childbirth, and was prone to violent wrath at
every violation of her marriage bed with Zeus.
Modern Date : February 27th
Market Day
The
Equirria
This day (NP), is for
special religious observance.
The famous horse races
in honor of Mars were held on this day on the Campius Martius (the field
of Mars). Romulus instituted this tradition to herald the beginning
of the sacral year.
This was the day the
ancient Romans walked the city bounds in solemn procession and then
gave sacrifice, followed by a public feast.
The emperor Constantine was born at Naissus this day in 272 AD (or 273).
February is a month
sacred to the gods Mars (as Quirinus, or Romulus) and Juno, the wife
of Jupiter. Juno (Hera, was the mother of Mars. Mars was known to the
Greeks as Ares, the god of war.
In 747 BCE the Babylonian
king Nabonassor acceeded to the throne.
On this day in 425 AD
the Byzantine emperor Theodosius founded a University a Constantinople
and gave the administration complete academic freedom.
In Judea, the ancient
Hebrews celebrated this day as the feast of Esther.
Modern Date : February 28th
Market Day
pridie
Kalendas March
Day Before the Kalends of March
This is one of the
dies comitiales (C), when committees of citizens could vote on
political or criminal matters.
In the ancient Far East,
this was held to be the day of conception of Buddha.