Quinquatra

Happy Quinquatra to those celebrating or have celebrated as this post is coming out a little bit into the festival. Quinquatra is a Roman and Etruscan festival dedicated to Minerva celebrating the Vernal equinox, rebirth, and women that would last from the 19th to the 23rd of March. During the festival it was common to

Equirria

Happy Equirria if you’re celebrating. The Equirria is a Roman festival of horse races celebrated twice a year to honour Mars. Equirria also honoured Anna Perenna. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equirria?wprov=sfla1

Terminalia

Happy Terminalia to those celebrating. Terminalia is a Roman festival honouring Terminus a roman god of borders and boundaries who watched over boundary markers. During the festival neighbours would decorate the line divided their property with garlands. They also offer honey, grain, lamb, and pork to the gods. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_%28festival%29?wprov=sfla1

Caristia

Have a blessed Caristia to those celebrating. Caristia is a Roman holiday of love between family members that also honoured the Lares. Caristia was traditionally a gift giving holiday.

Feralia

Blessed Feralia if you’re celebrating. Feralia is a Roman festival honouring the Manes, spirits of the dead. Offerings of salt, grain, bread, wine, and violets were brought to the tombs and graves of ancestors. Marriages were prohibited from occurring as it is a festival of mourning. The Manes are closely linked to Lemures and the

Fornicalia

Happy Fornicalia if you’re celebrating. Fornicalia is an ancient roman festival honouring Fornax, a goddess or personification of the oven. Where people would gather together to toast grain and pray/sing to Fornax. The festival lasted 13 days and would often start around the 5th of February. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fornacalia?wprov=sfla1

Sementuvae

Happy Sementuvae if you’re celebrating. Sementuvae is a Roman festival that is held for three days when the seeds are sown into the earth, Ceres and Terra are honoured during Sementuvae. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sementivae?wprov=sfla1

Carmenralia

Happy Carmenralia if you celebrate, Carmenralia is the ancient roman festival in honor of Carmenta, a roman goddess of prophecy and technology as well as birth. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmentalia?wprov=sfla1

Juturnalia

Happy Juturnalia if you celebrate. Juturnalia is an ancient roman festival dedicated to Juturna, the wife of Janus and roman goddess of fountains. During Juturnalia she would be given offerings and the local fountains would be cleaned. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juturna?wprov=sfla1

Larentalia

Happy Larentalia if you’re celebrating. Larentalia is an ancient roman festival with an unknown purpose, two theories have been proposed either as a festival to honour the Lares and Mania, or to honour Acca Larentia. It was likely a new year’s celebration. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larentalia?wprov=sfla1

Saturnalia

Happy Saturnalia to those who celebrate. Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival that would last from December 17th until the 23rd of December. During this time people would hold feasts/sacrifices, and give gifts (often small wax or clay sculptures as well as pottery). During Saturnalia enslaved people would be treated as if they were free.

Žemyna

Today I wanted to write about Žemyna, a Baltic goddess of the earth, fertility, and death. She’s a consort of Perkūnas. She was eventually combined with the Virgin Mary. Beer and chicken bones would often be given to her by the head of the household at weddings and harvests. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDemyna?wprov=sfla1

Thesmophoria

Happy Thesmophoria to anyone celebrating. History: Thesmophoria is an ancient Greek festival celebrated from the 11th to the 13th. The festival was only celebrated by women and was used to help fertility of crops and women. The main sacrifice during Thesmophoria was pigs. Demeter, and Persephone: the main deities honored during Thesmophoria are Demeter and

Vinalia Rustica

Happy Vinalia if you’re celebrating. History: the Vinalias are a pair of roman festivals honouring Jupiter and Venus. The rustic Vinalia celebrates the grape harvest and fertility. Jupiter and Venus: Vinalia Rustica was celebrated in a vineyard sacred to Venus Obsequens and honoured both Jupiter for good weather and Venus for purification in the wine

Portunalia

Have a blessed Portunalia to anyone celebrating. History: Portunalia is an ancient roman festival to Portunus where people would toss old keys into a fire from goodluck. Portunus and Janus: the main deity of Portunalia is Portunus with Janus possibly playing a role in celebrations. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunus_%28mythology%29?wprov=sfla1

Neptunalia

Happy Neptunalia if you celebrate. History: Neptunalia aka Nept. ludi is an ancient roman festival held to end the annual summer drought. Celebrations included games as it is one of the ludi festivals. Neptune: the main deity of Neptunalia is Neptune. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunalia?wprov=sfla1

Lucaria

Happy Lucaria if you celebrate. History: Lucaria is an ancient Roman festival of the sacred Grove by the Tiber River where the community would spend time cleaning the woods. The deities honored during Lucaria are unknown but likely a tutelary deity of the Grove. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucaria?wprov=sfla1

Ludi Apollinares

Happy Ludi Apollinares if any of you are celebrating. History: the Ludi Apollinares are religious games held in honor of Apollo, Diana, and Latona. Like many other of the Ludi festivals chariot races were held. Apollo, Diana, & Latona: the games honored Apollo and Diana for sending a cloud of arrows at Romes enemies, Latona

Vitulatio

Have a blessed Vitulatio if you are celebrating today. History: Vitulatio is a Roman thanksgiving festival where people would refrain from certain activities that were considered unnecessary as a way of reflecting on what you have and being thankful for what the Gods have given you. Vitula: The goddess Vitula (who is possibly an epithet

Caprotinia

Happy Caprotinia if you celebrate. History: Caprotinia is a Roman holiday that’s meaning is debated with two different sources giving different reasons for the celebration. One honouring Romulus the other commemorating the victory of Marcus Furius Camillus over the Latins. The festivities held during Caprotinia were hosted by women who would preform sacrifices to Juno.

Poplifugia

Happy Poplifugia today if you celebrate (also, It’s my birthday♡). History: Poplifugia, the day of the people’s flight, is an ancient Roman festival commemorating the Roman’s flight when the inhabitants of Ficuleae and Fidenae attacked after the burning of the city by Gaul’s. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poplifugia?wprov=sfla1

Matralia

Happy Matralia if you celebrate History: Matralia is an ancient roman festival celebrated by single women and honours the goddess Mater Matuta Mater Matuta: the deity worshipped during Matralia is Mater Matuta a Roman goddess of portd and the dawn. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mater_Matuta#Matralia?wprov=sfla1