Roman Hearth

Neopagan Revival of Ancient Roman Religion
Roman and Hellenistic Greco-Roman Religious Beliefs and Worship in the Home and Local Community 
Myths, Lore, Rituals, Rites, Customs, Celebrations, Worship

 

Research Notes by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. 
 

Bibliography     Calendar of the Year     Lararium (Home Altar)     Links     Quotations

Introduction      Latin Language     Recent Readings     Personal Notes     Home    

 

"The religion of one age is the literary entertainment of the next."
-  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am not a Druid, Taoist, Buddhist, Tantric or Neo-Pagan believer or worshipper.  I, Mike Garofalo, investigate these subjects out of literary, philosophical, historical, aesthetic, moral, and sociological curiosity.  I am a student of comparative religions.  I don't believe in supernatural beings and don't belong to any religious organization.  I find the topics listed below interesting from a metaphorical, figurative, literary, imaginative, and aesthetic viewpoint. 

 

October 4, 2010

 

 

Introduction

Roman Hearth: Ancient Roman-Greek Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Home and Local Community
 

This webpage might be useful to persons who are studying the religious beliefs and practices of persons living in ancient Rome, Neopagans attempting to revive some of the spiritual and religious practices of individuals and families in ancient Rome, dedicated enthusiasts of the Roman Way and the Hellenistic Greco-Roman Way, ADF members who find the Roman Hearth to resonate with their spiritual quest, and persons interested in comparative religions and customs. 

This webpage was started in March of 2010, so readers may need to return a number of times while research and development of this webpage proceeds in 2010 and thereafter.  Since I have many interests and projects underway, progress is usually slow.  This webpage is just a personal online research notebook and web portal for my own use, but other persons interested in the same topic might find it useful in some way. 

Books in my home research library are indicated by the code "VSCL".  The code VSCL stands for "Valley Spirit Center Library" in Red Bluff, California. 

 

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Bibliography    

Roman Hearth: Ancient Roman-Greek Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Home and Local Community
 

 

Books - Bibliography

 


Adkins, Lesley and Adkins, Roy A.  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  New York, Oxford University Press, 1994.  Index, bibliography, 404 pages.  ISBN: 9780195123326.  Order.  VSCL. 


Betz, Hans Dieter.  The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation.  Including the Demotic Spells.  Volume 1: Texts.  With an updated Bibliography.  Second Edition, 1992.  Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1986, 1992.  Notes, appendices, 353 pages.  ISBN: 0226044475.  Order.  VSCL. 


Burkett, Walter.  Greek Religion.  Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, Reprint Edition, 2006.  512 pages.  ISBN: 0674362810.  Originally written in German and published in 1977; translated by John Raffan in 1985.  VSCL.   A scholarly review of Green Religion (1200 - 300 BCE).  No illustrations.  Order.  VSCL. 


Crapsey, Algernon Sidney. The Ways of the Gods.  New York: The International Press, 1920. 


Flowers, Stephen Edred.  Hermetic Magic: The Postmodern Magical Papyrus of Abaris.  Edited and introduced by Stephen Edred Flowers, Ph.D.  Boston, Weiser Books, 1995.  Appendices, bibliography, index, 291 pages.  ISBN: 0877288283.  Order.  VSCL. 


Luck, Georg.  Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds; A Collection of Ancient Texts.  Translated, annotated, and Introduced by Georg Luck.  Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Press, Second Edition, 1985, 2006.  Index, bibliography, glossary, appendices, notes, 544 pages.  ISBN: 0801883466.  Order.  VSCL. 


Mikalson, John D.   Religion in Hellenistic Athens.  Berkeley, University of California Press, 1998.  Index, bibliography, appendices, 364 pages.  ISBN: 0520210239.  CSUC Library BL 793 A76.  The Hellenistic Period begins with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, and ends with the Roman Emperor Octavian's victory at Actium in 31 BCE. 


Scheid, John.  An Introduction to Roman Religion.  Translated by Janet Lloyd.  Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2003.  Chronology, glossary, bibliography, index, 232 pages.  ISBN: 0253216605.  Order.  ADF Recommended.  VSCL. 


Serith, Ceisiwr.  Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans.  Tuscon, Arizona, ADF Publishing, 2009.  298 pages.  ISBN: 0976568136.  Order.  VSCL. 


Turcan, Robert.  The Gods of Ancient Rome: Religion in Everyday Life from Archaic to Imperial Times.  Translated by Antonia Nevill.  New York, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2001.  ISBN: 0415929733.  Order.  ADF Recommended.  VSCL. 


Warrior, Valerie M.  Roman Religion: A Sourcebook.  Newburyport, MA, Focus Pub., 2002.  Index, bibliography, maps, 215 pages.  ISBN: 1585100307. Order.  VSCL. 


Wheelock, Frederic M.  Wheelock's Latin.  6th Edition Revised.  Revised by Richard A. LaFleur.  The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors.  New York, Harper Collins, 2005.  Dictionary, index, 511 pages.  ISBN: 0060784237.  Order.  VSCL. 

 

Internet WWW Websites

 

Ancient Roman Religion   


Basic Principles of Roman Religion.   By Jenni Hunt.   ADF Publications, Roman Rituals. 


Calendar of Roman Religious Festivals, Celebrations, Holidays, Holy Days 


Collegium Religionum, Societas Via Romana  


Cult of Demeter and Kore in Sicily 


Cultus deorum Romanorum, Nova Roma  


"Cultus Deorum Romanorum" A blog by M. Lucretius Agricola.  Subtitle:  "The revival, reconstruction and practice of the traditional religion of the ancient Romans, a living paganism." 


Declaration of Roman Religion, Nova Roma 


Hellenistic Religion   


Laοcitι, Secular Society, Separation of Church and State  


The Lares and the Penates   De Lares et di Pinates, by Lucius Equitius Cincinnatus  


Nature Spirits (e.g., Lars, Penates, Nymphs)  

 
Neopaganism in German Speaking Europe 


Neopaganism in Latin Europe  


Nova Roma  Created in 1998 by Joselph Bloch and William Bradford. 


Nova Roma - Wikipedia


Religion in Ancient Greece  


Rites and Rituals of the Ancient Romans, Nova Roma 


Roman God Names Evolution  


Roman Festivals 


Roman Religion, Reconstructionism, Nova Roma 


A Roman Ritual Template.  By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publication, Roman Rituals. 


Seasonal Festivals of the Greeks and Romans 


Sex Magick


Simple Daily Home Rites and Prayers, Religio Romano.    By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publication, Roman Rituals.


Societas Via Romana - The Society of the Roman Way   

 

 

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Latin Language

 

Advice for Learning Vocabulary 


Beginner's Latin Resources   National Archives, UK. 


Bibliotecha Augustana   Classical and Medieval Latin texts in beautiful format for reading and printing.   


Carmenta Online Latin School.   Andrew Kuhry-Haeuser teaches high-quality online Latin classes using live audio and video. 
 

Cassell's Latin Dictionary: Latin-English and English-Latin.  By D. P. Simpson.  New York, Wiley Publishing Inc., 1968.  883 pages.  ISBN: 9780025225800.  Order.  VSCL.


Collins Latin Dictionary
.  Latin to English and English to Latin, 160,000 entries.  Grammar and verb tables.  Index, 255 pages.  Glasgow, England, 1997.  ISBN: 006053690X.  Order.  VSCL. 


Greek-English and English-Greek Dictionary.  Greek words are given in both Greek script and Roman script.  Kypros-Net. 


Latin Language Computer Software: Transparent 


Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid.   University of Notre Dame. 


Latin Dictionary Online TranslationLexilogos


Latin-English Dictionary 


Latin Grammer.  By James Morwood.  Oxford University Press, 1999.  ISBN: 9780198602774.  Order  VSCL. 


Scribblers, Sculptors, and Scribes: A Companion to Wheelock's Latin and Other Introductory Textbooks.  By Richard A. LaFleur.  New York, Harper Collins, 2010.  Numerous tables and dictionary.  307 pages.  ISBN: 0061259187. 


Latin:  Transparent Language System, Byki Delux, Transparent Language Premium Edition.  Language Learning Software.  Includes 15,000 words - kind of like a computerized flash card system with pronunciation of each work, as well as many other features. 


Wheelock, Frederic M.  Wheelock's Latin.  6th Edition Revised.  Revised by Richard A. LaFleur.  The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors.  New York, Harper Collins, 2005.  Dictionary, index, 511 pages.  ISBN: 0060784237.  Order.  VSCL. 


Wheelock's Latin Learning Website   Official website. 


Workbook for Wheelock's Latin.  By Paul T. Comeau and Richard A. LaFluer.  3rd Edition, Revised.  New York, Harper Collins, 2000.  ISBN: 00060956429.  Order.   VSCL. 

 

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Lararium (Home Altar) 
 

"The Lararium (pl. lararia) altar is the sacred place of the home where offerings and prayers are made to the Gods. In more affluent Roman homes, such as private villas, the main Lararium altar was usually set in the Atrium (front reception room, near the front door). In smaller Roman homes which might not have an atrium, such as insula apartments, the Lararium was most often located near the hearth (the kitchen or place of a central fire). But a house could have several minor Lararia as well, indoors (specially in the bedrooms) or outdoors. The forms of Lararium varied greatly. Rich homes might have a huge affair of carved marble which looked rather like a temple in miniature. In other homes the Lararium might only be a simple wooden cabinet or wall shelf. Big or small, the important thing about a Lararium is that it should be permanent rather than something to be put away when the rites are not being held. A lararium, properly speaking, is a shrine for the Lares. During the Republic there does not seem to have been any statues used to represent the Lares, since they were considered more as ancestors. The death masks of ancestors were stored in boxes, hung on a wall near the entrance of the house, and it might possibly be that lararium meant something like a foyer where these were kept. Today it would be comparable to having photographs of your ancestors at your lararium. Beginning in the fourth century BCE certain patrician families assumed divine heritages and thus may have begun to include images of a Lar familiaris such as Venus, but these would still have been regarded there as an ancestor."  Lararium, Nova Roma 

 

Photographs of Lararium 


English to Latin Dictionary of Spiritual and Religious Terms   This brief dictionary might be useful to Neo-Pagans reviving private Roman home hearth ceremonial, piety and spiritual practices.  Ritual tools for a home altar (Lararium) and spiritual practices are included.  Published in a print only PDF format.   By Michael P. Garofalo. 


Simple Daily Home Rites and Prayers, Religio Romano.    By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publication, Roman Rituals

 

 

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Calendar of the Year

Roman Hearth: Ancient Roman-Greek Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Home and Local Community 
 

The dates given below are general dates, and, depending on the yearly calendar one is using, could be off by a few days.

 

"The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus. It has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months, and a leap day is added to February every four years. Hence the Julian year is on average 365.25 days long.  The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar.  It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter gravissimas.  The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries adopting it over the following centuries.  The Gregorian calendar reform contained two parts, a reform of the Julian calendar as used up to Pope Gregory's time, together with a reform of the lunar cycle used by the Church along with the Julian calendar for calculating dates of Easter. The reform was a modification of a proposal made by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius (or Lilio).  Lilius' proposal included reducing the number of leap years in four centuries from 100 to 97, by making 3 out of 4 centurial years common instead of leap years: this part of the proposal had been suggested before by, among others, Pietro Pitati. Lilio also produced an original and practical scheme for adjusting the epacts of the moon for completing the calculation of Easter dates, solving a longstanding difficulty that had faced proposers of calendar reform.  Gregory's bull does not ordain any particular year-numbering system, but uses the Anno Domini system which counts years from the traditional Incarnation of Jesus, and which had spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. That is the same year-numbering system that is the de facto international standard today.  The Anno Domini (Latin for "in the year of the/our Lord") system of numbering years, in which the leap year rules are written, and which is generally used together with the Gregorian calendar, is also known in English as the Common Era or Christian Era. Years before the beginning of the era are known in English as Before Christ, Before the Common Era, or Before the Christian Era. The corresponding abbreviations AD, CE, BC, and BCE are used. There is no year 0; AD 1 immediately follows 1 BC."  - Wikipedia

 

Festivals in Ancient Greece 

Roman Festivals and Sacred Days  

Roman Religious Calendar, Collegium Religionum, Societas Via Romana  

Roman Festivals - Wikipedia 

 

 

Annual Calendar of Festivals, Holidays, and Celebrations in the Ancient Roman Year

January, Januarius, Ianuarius    

February, Februarius   

March, Martius        

April, Aprilis    

May, Maius      

June,  Junonius, Iunius    

July,  Julius, Lulius

August, Augustus   

September, September 

October, October

November, November   

December, December 

 

 

January, Januarius, Ianuarius     


Januarius Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus.    

January: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

January:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

January: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac       

January: Janus (Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings and endings). 

 

January 1 –  Kalends Ianuarius   The New Year's Day in the Julian Calendar was sacred to Jupiter, Juno, and Janus.  Festival for Aesculapius Sacrifice day for Fortuna.  Festival for Vedovus.     

January 2 –  Compitalia 

January 8 –  NONES

January 8 – Sacred day for Justicia

January 9 –  The first Agonalia, in honor of the god Janus, after whom the month January is named and to whom the Romans prayed for advice.   Agonalia 

January 11 and January 15 –  Carmentalia  Festival of Carmentalia begins.   Juturnalia

January 15 –  IDES.  Festival of Carmentalia ends.  Feast of the Ass

January 16 –  Concordia honored

January 17 –  Felicitas honored.  Festival of Janus 

January 24 to January 26 –  Sementivae (in the country called Paganalia) 

January 25 –  Feriae Sementivae 

January 30 –  Festival of Peace 

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

February, Februarius


Febuarius Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

February: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

February: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

February:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

February: Februus (Etruscan god of death) Februarius (mensis) (Latin for "month of purification (rituals)" it is said to be a Sabine word, the last month of ancient pre-450 BC Roman calendar). It is related to fever.  

 

February 13 to 22 –  Parentalia, in honour of the ancestors

February 13 to February 15 –  Lupercalia, in honour of Faunus

February 17 –  Quirinalia, in honour of Quirinus

February 21 –  Feralia

February 23 –  Terminalia, in honour of Terminus

February 27 –  First Equirria

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

March, Martius 


Martius Calendar, Societas Via Roma  By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

March: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

March:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

March: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

March: Mars (Roman god of war). 

 

March 1 –   Roman New Year.  Matronalia in honour of Juno Feriae Marti in honour of Mars.  The sacred fire of Rome was renewed (See Vesta)

March 14 –  Second Equirria

March 15 and 16 –  Bacchanalia, in honour of Bacchus

March 17 –  Agonalia in honour of Mars 

March 19 to 23 –  Quinquatria, in honour of Minerva 

March 23 –  Tubilustrium, in honor of Mars

March 30 –  Festival of Salus

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

April, Aprilis

Aprilis Calendar, Societas Via Roma  By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: April to June.   By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

April Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

April: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

April: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

April: Modern scholars associate the name with an ancient root meaning 'other', i.e the second month of a year beginning in March.

 

April 1 –  Veneralia, in honour of Venus

April 4 to 10 –  Ludi Megalenses/Megalesia, in honor of Cybele (since 191 BC, brought to Rome in 203 BC)

April 12 to 19 –  Ludi Cereales, games in honour of Cerealia (since 202 BC)

April 15 –  Fordicidia, in honour of Tellus

April 21 –  Parilia, in honour of Pales

April 23 –  Vinalia urbana, in honour of Venus and the previous year's wine harvest

April 25 –  Robigalia, in honour of Robigus, with foot races

April 28 to May 1 –  Ludi Florales (Floralia), games in honour of Flora

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

MayMaius


Maius Calendar, Societas Via Roma    By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: April to June.   By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

May:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

May: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books    

May: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

May: Maia Maiestas (Roman goddess). 

 

May 1 –   Festival of the Bona Dea and Vinalia, the 2nd Venus and last year's wine harvest festival.  

May 9 –  Lemuria (lemures)

May 15 –  Mercuralia, in honour of Mercury

May 21 –  Vejovis, one of the four Agonalia 

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

JuneJunonius, Iunius 


Junonius Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: April to June.   By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

June: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books   

June:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

June: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac    

June: Juno (Roman goddess, wife of Jupiter).  

 

June 3 –  Festival in honour of Bellona

June 7 to 15–  Vestalia, in honour of Vesta

June 13 –  Quinquatrus minusculae, in honour of Minerva

June 20 –  Festival in honour of Summanus

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

JulyJulius, Lulius


Julius Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: July to September.  By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

July: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

July:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

July: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac    

July: Julius Caesar (Roman dictator).   The month was formerly named Quintilis, the fifth month of the calendar of Romulus.  

 

July 5 –  Poplifugia, festival in honour of Jupiter

July 6 to 13 –  Ludi Apollinares, games in honour of Apollo (since 208 BC)

July 7 –  Nonae Caprotinae Juno; also the sacerdotes publici sacrificed to Consus

July 9 –  Caprotinia

July 18 –  Day of bad omens: defeat in Allia (390 BC) that led to the sack of Rome by the Gauls

July 19 –  Lucaria

July 23 –  Neptunalia held in honour of Neptune

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

AugustAugustus


Augustus Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: July to September.  By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

August:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

August: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books 

August: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

August: Augustus (First Roman emperor).  The month was formerly named Sextilis, the sixth month of Romulus. 

 

August 10 –  Opalia in honour of Ops

August 13 –  Vertumnalia in honour of Vertumnus

August 13 –  Nemoralia, the festival of Torches, in honor of Diana

August 17 –  Portunalia in honour of Portunes

August 19 –  Vinalia Rustica in honour of Venus, commemorating the founding of the oldest known temple to her, on the Esquiline Hill, in 293 BC

August 21 –  Consualia, games and races in honour of Consus

August 23 –  Vulcanalia in honour of Vulcan

August 24 –  One of 3 days on which the mundus was opened

August 25 –  Opiconsivia in honour of Ops

August 27 –  Volturnalia in honour of Volturnus

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

SeptemberSeptember


September Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: July to September.  By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

September Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

September: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books, Gardening Chores   

September: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

September: septem (Latin for seven, the seventh month of Romulus).  

 

September –  Septimontium.

September 4 to 19 –  Ludi Romani, games for the people of Rome to the honour of Jupiter, organized by the curule aedile (since 366 BC

September 26 –  Festival of Venus Genetrix ("Mother Venus") in her role as the ancestress of the Roman people.

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

October October


October Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

Major Holidays of Rome: October.  By Jenni Hunt.  ADF Publications, Roman Rituals 

October: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books   

October:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

October: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac    

October: octo (Latin for eight, the eighth month of Romulus). 

 

October 4 –  Ieiunium Cereris: Fast of Ceres, instituted in 191 BC; at that time that date fell in late spring

October 5 –  One of 3 days on which the mundus is opened

October 6 –  Day of bad omens: anniversary of the battle of Arausio (105 BC)

October 11 –  Meditrinalia in honour of Meditrina

October 13 –  Fontinalia, dedicated to Fontus [2]

October 15 –  Equirria, the "equus October" sacrificed to Mars in the Campus Martius

October 19 –  Armilustrium in honour of Mars

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

November November


November Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus. 

November: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books   

November:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

November: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac   

November: novem (Latin for nine, the ninth month of Romulus). 

 

November 4 to 17 –  Ludi Plebeii, games for the people of Rome organized by the curule aedile (since 216 BC)

November 13 –  Epulum Jovis

November 15 –  Festival in honour of Feronia

November 24 –  Brumalia

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

DecemberDecember


December Calendar, Societas Via Roma   By M. Moravius Horatius Piscinus.   

December: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Holidays, Legends, Lore, Links, Books   

December:  Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.  By Lesley Adkins, 1994.  pp. 249-287. 

December: An Old Druid's Personal Almanac      

December: decem (Latin for ten, the tenth month of Romulus). 

 

December 4 –  Bona Dea rites, exclusive to women

December 5 –  Faunalia in honour of Faunus

December 11 –  Agonalia for Sol Indiges ; Septimontium

December 15 –  Consualia in honour of Consus

December 17 –  Saturnalia in honour of Saturn

December 18 –  Eponalia in honour of Epona

December 19 –  Opalia in honour of Ops 

December 21 –  Winter Solstice (Neo-Pagan) 

December 21 –  Divalia in honour of Angerona

December 23 –  Arentalia in honour of Larenta

December 25 – Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, festival of Sol, the invincible sun god.  Bruma (winter solstice). 

Return to the Annual Calendar Table

 

 

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Quotations

Roman Hearth: Ancient Roman-Greek Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Home and Local Community 
 

 

"The Penates were not only Keepers of the [hearth] Fire, they were also the Guardians of the Store [home larder, food storage area, grain storage].  It was their duty to inspire the cook with skill to make delicate dishes for the family able, to watch the meat before the fire, and to scare the rats from the cupboard.  In the archaic world, the gods were more useful than ornamental. The men and women of that world would scornfully laugh at our gods and think of them with pity— gods shut up in churches, having nothing to do but to listen to the droning of prayers and the confessions of sins; gods who pass their dreary existence away from the warmth of the hearth, the smell of the cooking, the chatter of the maids, and the stir of the family life!  A god upon a great white throne, with cherubim and seraphim bowing before him, may have power and dignity, but for comfort and good-fellowship one must go to the god who sits by the fire, inhales the odor of spice, and the flavor of the bread and the cake and the meat that are cooking in the kitchen. Such a god can understand the tribulations of the cook and the annoyances of the mistress; he knows by experience that fire burns and ginger is hot in the mouth. All other religion is cold and formal beside this intimate religion of the hearth."
Crapsey, Algernon Sidney.  The Ways of the Gods.  New York: The International Press, 1920.

 

"About 750 BC, the Greeks began to colonize Sicily, establishing many important settlements. The most important colony was Syracuse; other significant ones were Akragas, Gela, Himera, Selinunte, and Zancle. The native Sicani and Sicel peoples were absorbed by the Hellenic culture with relative ease, and the area was part of Magna Graecia along with the rest of Southern Italy, which the Greeks had also colonized. Sicily was very fertile, and the introduction of olives and grape vines flourished, creating a great deal of profitable trading; a significant part of Greek culture on the island was that of Greek religion and many temples were built across Sicily, such as the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento." 
-   Wikipedia 

 

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Recent Readings and Studies in Classical Latin and Green Philosophy
Starting in January of 2010

 

Epictetus, 50-139 CE.  Encheiridion: The Manual for Living.  Translated by George Long.  Introduction by Odysseus Makridis.  New York, Barnes and Noble, 2005.  Library of Essential Reading Series.  ISBN: 0780770204.  Order  VSCL. 


Epicurus.  The Essential Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, Vatican Sayings and Fragments.  Translated with an introduction by Eugene O'Connor.  Amherst, New York, Prometheus Books, 1993.  101 pages.  ISBN: 0879758104.  Order   VSCL


Lucretius.  The Way Things Are: The De Rerum Naturum of Titus Lucretius Carus.  Translated by Rolfe Humphries.  Introduction by Burton Feldman and Notes by George K. Strodach.  The verse translation.  Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1968.  ISBN: 9780253201256.  Order  VSCL. 

 

 

 

Personal Notes

Roman Hearth: Ancient Roman-Greek Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Home and Local Community
 

Why I did I choose to study and follow some of the home religious practices of my Roman-Greek ancestors? 
By Mike Garofalo


Members of
Aŕ nDraνocht Fιin, ADF, Our Own Druidism who have chosen to pursue the entry level Dedicant's Path of Druidic studies and practices are required to do some general reading in ancient Indo-European religions and culture, and in modern Neopaganism.  Then, Dedicants are required to study one ancient Indo-European religion in more detail.  I have chosen to study the home and local religious practices and religious beliefs of the ancient Romans. 

I have lived in California my whole life.  My ancestors were Europeans.  My father's parents immigrated from Sicily to Los Angeles in 1905, and my father lived his whole life in Los Angeles.  My surname "Garofalo" is a word in modern Greek γαρίφαλο garifalo that means carnation; and, in the Italian language, garofano means carnation.   My grandmother, Lena Garofalo, who spoke mostly Italian, told me the name Garofalo meant a carnation, boutonniθre, or a  small flower for the lapel.  She told me that she came from a rural area in Sicily, southeast of Palermo, named "Greco." 

Sicily, like California, has a "Mediterranean Climate."  Like the great rural Central Valley of California, where I live, Sicily, Southern Italy, and Greece have about 26 inches of annual rainfall, mostly falling from November through April.  Summers are dry and warm to hot, and the winters are wet, and cooler.  Persons living near the seas have always enjoyed coastal weather with fishing and seaports, like we have in California and Oregon.  All of these areas grow grapes, olives, grains, citrus, vegetables, and a variety of fruit and nut trees; along with supporting livestock ranching, dairy, and poultry.  Wheat and barley grains grew particularly well in Sicily in ancient times, and winter wheat is a common crop where I live. 

On my mother's side of the family, my German ancestors were peace loving farmers who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1850's.  By 1900, they were very successful farmers in Ohio, where my mother was born.  I have read German philosophers, novelists, poets, and follow some German-Teutonic "Heathen" spiritual practices. 

As an undergraduate in the 1960's at California State University at Los Angeles, I studied philosophy (B.A.) and comparative religions, and minored in business administration, and took 10 classes towards a Master's degree in Philosophy.  Naturally, majoring in philosophy, introduced me to many Greek, Roman, German and English philosophers and scholars.  I also graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master's degree in Library and Information Science (M.S.L.S.), and have worked for 32 years in public libraries and 10 years in school libraries.  My education and career path have given me many opportunities to continue my studies in philosophy and comparative religions during my lifetime. 

I studied Latin at Cantwell Catholic High School, and have recently renewed my studies in this classical language.  I use some Latin in rites, ceremonies, and magickal practices. 

I was educated in Roman Catholic Schools from the 1st to the 12th grade.  However, as an adult, I've never been very interested in Judeo-Christian or Islamic monotheism, myths, outlooks, or their organized religions.  I have considerable knowledge of the Judeo-Christian traditions, and get along with good folks of many religions.  I am, myself, am a Neopagan at heart.  Fortunately, for now, in America, people of different religious outlooks and beliefs live at peace with each other, and we generally tend to support religious liberty, a non-theocratic government, and civil rights to protect individuals.  Unlike the ancient Romans, I strongly support a secular civil society with a clear separation of church and state - what the French call Laοcitι.     

I've always found philosophers, Eastern scholars, Zen Buddhists, Taoists, hearth religions, comparative religions, mystics, Druids, Yogis, Tai Chi Masters, Neopagans, Gardeners, Germanic lore, Heathens, polytheism, Tantra, tarot, Discordians, esoteric traditions, and Wizards very interesting to me; and, have followed this Eclectic Neopagan Path since I was 17 years old.  I have been a practicing Neopagan for ten years, and am now on the ADF Dedicant's Path.  I am also a member of the Bards, Ovates, and Druids. 

I am a member of the ADF Feather River Grove in Chico, California. 

I have enjoyed the delights of gardening for five decades, and this kind of closeness and cooperation with Mother Earth has benefited my mind and body, and led to many mystical experiences for me.  Neopaganism seems to me the most compatible with this Nature mysticism and playing with the nature spirits and Elementals of the garden that I cherish.   

My choice of studying and following a Neopagan Roman Hearth was, therefore, based upon living in the rural environment around my current home, my Italian-Greek-German ethnic heritage, my Roman Catholic education, my ADF and OBOD memberships, my personal spiritual preferences, my gardener's mysticism, and my studies in philosophy, Latin, Neopaganism, and comparative religions.  These aspects of my life are all intertwined with some old Roman, Greek, and Germanic Pagan roots. 

Homepage:  One Druid's Journey

 

                     Best Wishes
                   Mike Garofalo

 

 

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