Romanist Holidays
Static Holidays
New Years Day
New Years Day is sacred to Janus. The God of beginnings. On New Years Day we make an offering to Janus. An offering of wine and sacrificial cakes is appropriate.
Agonalia - Jan 6
This holiday marks the end of the Dionysia. On Agonalia we make a offering to Janus. An offering of wine and sacrificial cakes is appropriate.
Lupercalia - Feb 14th
On Lupercalia we honor Lupercus and Faunus as the patrons of love and friendship. We decorate our homes and altars with the color red and hearts. It is customary to give gifts to your lover.
An offering to Lupercus of wine and chocolates is appropriate.
Liberalia - March 17
On Liberalia we honor Liber with an offering of wine. On this day, Romanists that have turned 16 are celebrated as full members of the community. They are given a Cognomen of their choosing which is added to the end of their name. It is common to choose a great philosopher or sage for this name. The name should be a continued inspiration of who we wish to emulate in our lives.
An offering is made to the Lares and a celebration for the youths coming of age follows.
All lent fasting is postponed on Liberalia and resumes afterward.
Spring Equinox - March 19th
The spring equinox is held in honor of Minerva. A sacrifice to Minerva of wine and Incense is made.
Minerva is the patron goddess of educators and craftspeople.
Veneralia - April 1st
Veneralia is in honor of Venus. An offering of wine is made to Venus and it is a sacred time for women to petition Venus for advice and blessings in love affairs.
For Veneralia myths of Venus are retold and the statue of Venus is given a ritual washing and then adorned with flowers.
Floralia - May 1st
The Floralia is a spring festival where a maypole is decorated and a girl is elected the May Queen and crowned with flowers.
An offering to Floralia of flowers and cakes is made.
It is customary to hold games and contests on this day and dress in colorful clothing.
Lemuralia - October 31st
The Lemuralia is a day in which the lemurs, the evil spirits of the dead, roam the earth. The Family Priest should perform a special ritual to sanctify the home from these evil spirits. Romanist members will be given instruction on this ritual.
Saturnalia - Dec 17-24
The Saturnalia is the period leading up to Dionysia. We honor Saturn these days and remember the Golden Age that Saturn ruled over. On the last day of Saturnalia it is customary to exchange gifts with family and friends.
Dionysia - 12 Days of Liber - Dec 25-Jan 5
During the Dionysia also called the 12 days of Liber, we celebrate the birth of Liber's earthly incarnation as Dionysus which happened on December 25th. This celebration marks the fulfillment of the providence of Father Jove, the supreme God. Jove in his infinite goodness foresaw immense human suffering caused by our earthly mortality. He conceived his son, Liber-Dionysus to be our liberator from the endless cycle of death and rebirth. Through his mysteries and spiritual guidance, we can attain union with the Divine.
It is common to retell the story of the Orphic Theogony and stories of Dionysus during this time.
During the Dionysia we make offerings of sacrificial cakes and wine to Liber-Dionysus every day. We also honor all the 12 Olympians during the 12 days. It is also customary to honor the Gods consort on their day of celebration.
25th - Vesta
26th - Mars
27th - Diana
28th - Vulcan
29th - Juno
30th - Neptune
31st - Minerva
1st - Venus
2nd - Apollo
3rd - Mercury
4th - Ceres
5th - Jove
Movable Holidays
Bacchanalia - 47 days before Cerealia
The Bacchanalia in honor of the God Bacchus is a festival where we enjoy food, meat and wine before the time of purification during Lent.
Ash Wednesday - 46 Days before Cerealia
In an act of purification we make a offering to father Liber on ash Wednesday asking him to liberate us from our earthly passions during the fast that follows.
The story of Semele, Liber's mother being turned to ash at the sight of Jove is retold.
We remind ourselves that in order to be worthy of God we must be purified and remember that our bodies are only flesh which will one day turn to ash.
Lent - From ash Wednesday to Cerealia
As we wait for the rebirth of spring we take this time to honor Proserpina and her yearly time in the underworld.
We retell the story of Ceres searching for Proserpina.
We also, take this time as a fast for the time that Liber spent inside Father Jove’s thigh waiting to be born again.
Cerealia - The first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the spring Equinox
On Cerealia we honor the Goddess Ceres who brings peace to the world. Offerings of spelt cake, incense, milk, wine and honey are all appropriate on Cerealia.
Ceres is sacred to the working class and agricultural workers. During this festival the all members of the community come together in peace.
The practice of hunting for eggs is also done on the Cerealia. In times passed this was practiced on Floralia but today it is done in conjunction with Cerealia.
Here we also honor the rebirth of Liber from Father Jove.
Mercuralia - 50 Days after Cerealia
On Mercuralia we honor the God Mercury and his mother Maia. The story of Mercury's birth is retold.
This holiday is sacred to travelers, merchants and salespeople.
We make offerings to Mercury on this day and also recognize his earthly incarnations, particularly Hermes the Thrice Great.
Passages from the Hermeticum are read and we reserve part of the day for meditation.
Matronalia - The 2nd Sunday in May
Matronalia is the celebration of our mothers and female ancestors.
An offering is made to the manes of the Matrilineal line and gifts are given to any living mothers or grandmothers.
For mothers who have passed, this is a time to make an offering to their spirit at their graves as well.
Vestalia - 60 Days after Cerealia
On the Vestalia, the Virgin Vesta is honored with offerings of incense and the holy cake known as Mola Salsa.
The stories of Aeneus bringing Vesta to Rome are retold.
Also, on this day we hold a vigil in honor of the hearth of Troy that was put out by the evil tyrant Theodosius. We retell the tale of how he ended the worship of Vesta directly leading to the sacking of Rome 30 years later and the destruction of the ancient city.
This event marks the beginning of the age of intolerance and genocide under the Christians. We honor all martyrs on this day and remember the brutal and bloody persecutions Romanists and other Gentiles faced during the Dark Ages of Christianity.
Feast of Jove - Last Thursday of November (in America)
On the feast of Jove, the statues of Jove, Juno and Minerva are dressed in fine robes and flowers.
A great feast is prepared for family and friends and offered to the Gods.
After the offering the food is mixed back into the dishes and consumed by everyone present.
The Gods should be placed on a special alter near the table so that the meal is shared with the Gods.
The exact date of this feast should coincide with the harvest festival or thanksgiving of every nation.
Feast Days
Throughout the year, we set aside particular days to honor mortal men and women who have been important our religion and the Golden Chain that ties the wisdom of the ancients to us today. Some of these people are martyrs, others are great sages, oracles and teachers. You may also notice some philosophers who while nominally Christian where essential for protecting Romanism and philosophy during the Age of Intolerance.
Feast of Socrates: 1/25
Feast of Proclus: 2/8
Feast of Giordano Bruno, the Martyr: 2/17
Feast of Pythagoras: 3/3
Feast of Hypatia of Alexandra, the Martyr: 3/8
Feast of Aristotle: 4/19
Feast of Thomas Taylor: 5/15
Feast of Gemistus Plethon: 6/16
Feast of Julian the Philosopher: 6/26
Feast of Johann Valentin Andreae: 8/17
Feasts of Julian the Chaldean and Julianus the Theurgist: 9/12
Feast of the Divine Iamblichus: 9/24
Feast of Asklepigeneia: 9/28
Feast of Marsilio Ficino: 10/19
Feast of the Divine Plato: 11/7
Feast of Porphyry: 11/18
Feast of Stephanos of Alexandria: 12/3
Feast of Plotinus: 12/10
Feast of Anne Conway: 12/14