Roman Festivals / Sacred Days


January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

The early Roman calendar was based on a lunar cycle, not the solar cycle that we use today. The Romans marked time as being before the cycles of the moon (i.e. 5 days before the Kalends of October). As such, festival dates changed dates from year to year. The dates given below are general dates, and, depending on the calendar one is using, could be off by a few days.

January
1 - New Year's Day. Day sacred to Jupiter, Juno, and Janus
- Sacrifice day for Fortuna
6 - Christmas Day according to the Julian Calendar
- Festival day for Proserpina
8 - Sacred day for Justicia
11 - Festival of Carmentalia begins
- Sacred day for Juturna
12 - Festival of Compitalia
15 - Festival of Carmentalia ends
- Feast of the Ass (Sacred to Vesta)
16 - Concordia honored today
17 - A day sacred to Felicitas
30 - Festival of Peace
- Feriae Senentiva (Feast of Spring)

February
2 - Festival of Juno Februa
9 - Feast of Apollo
12 - A day holy to Diana
13 - Festival of Parentalia begin
- Orgiastic festival of Juno Februa begins
14 - Orgiastic festival of Juno Februa ends
- Day sacred to Juno-Lupa
15 - Lupercalia
17 - Festival of Fornacalia
18 - Rites of Tacita
19 - Birthday of Minerva
21 - Festival of Parentalia ends
- Festival of Feralia
22 - Festival of Caristia
23 - Festival of Terminalia

March
1 - Women's festival of Matronalia
5 - Navigum Isidis (Blessing of the Vessel of Isis)
6 - Day honoring the gods of one's household
7 - Festival of Junonalia
11 - Day sacred to Hercules
14 - Festival of Veturius Mamurius
15 - Festival of Attis and Cybele
- Day sacred to Anna Parenna and River Nymphs
- Julias Caesar was assassinated on this day ("Caesar, beware the Ides of March!")
- Guild festival
16 - Festival of Bacchus
17 - Liberalia
19 - Festival of Quinquatrus begins
22 - Procession of the Tree-Bearers
23 - Festival of Quinquatrus ends
- Invocation day of Mars and Saturn
24 - Day of Blood
25 - Hilaria (Festival of Joy)
28 - Festival of the Sacrifice at the Tombs
30 - Festival of Janus and Concordia
31 - Feast of Luna

April
1 - Veneralia
- Women's festival of Fortuna Virilis
3 - Proserpina's rise from the Underworld
- Day (sunset-sunset) sacred to Bona Dea
4 - Festival of Magna Mater (Megalesia) begins
5 - Festival of Fortuna
10 - Festival of Magna Mater ends
11 - "Diana's Bread" baked today
12 - Festival of Cerealia begins
13 - Festival of Libertas
15 - Festival of Tellus Mater (Fordicalia
19 - Festival of Cerealia ends
21 - Paralia
- Festival of the foundation of Rome
22 - Festival of Jupiter and Juno
23 - Vinalia
25 - Festival of Robigalia
28 - Festival of Floralia begins
30 - Festival of Floralia ends

May
1 - Day sacred to Maia
- Feast for Lares Praestites
2 - Day sacred to Elena
3 - Women's Festival of Bona Dea
4 - Megalesia (Festival of Cybele)
9 - Festival of Lemuria (day 1)
11 - Festival of Lemuria (day 2)
13 - Festival of Lemuria (day 3)
15 - Day sacred to Maia and Vesta
- Sacrifice day to the Tiber River
17 - Festival of Dea Dia
18 - Day sacred to Apollo
23 - Rosalia (Festival of Flora)
27 - Secular Centennial Games
29 - Festival of Ambarvalia
- Feast of Mars

June
1 - Festival of Carna
- Day sacred to Tempestas
7 - Day of Vesta Asperit (Vestalia)
8 - Festival of Mens
9 - Festival of Vesta
11 - Day sacred to Fortuna
- Rites of Matralia
13 - Lesser Quinquartrus of Minerva
15 - Women's festival of Vestalia
16 - Festival of Ludi Piscatari
18 - Festival of Anna
19 - Day of all Heras
24 - Fors Fortuna (Day sacred to Fortuna)
27 - Festival of Initium Aestatis
30 - Day of Aestas

July
? - Adonia
2 - Feast of Expectant Mothers
4 - Day of Pax
5 - Poplifugia
7 - Festival of Consualia
- Festival of Feriae Ancillarum
- Parilia
8 - Nonae Caprotinae (Nones of the Wild Figs) (Feast)
- Vitulatio
19 - Sacred drama day for Aphrodite and Adonis
- Lucaria
21 - Lucaria
23 - Neptunalia
25 - Festival of Furrinalia

August
1 - Feast of Spes
5 - Sacrifice Day for Salus
8 - Festival of Venus (sunset-sunset)
12 - Lychnapsia
13 - Festival of Hecate
- Rites for Diana
15 - Festival of Vesta
17 - Festival of Diana
19 - Vinalia Rustica
21 - Consualia
- Heraclia
23 - Festival of Nemesea
- Festival of Vertumnalia
- Honoring of Ops
- Vulcanalia
24 - Festival of Mania
- Mundus Opened
25 - Opiconsivia
27 - Day sacred to Consus
- Volturnalia
30 - Festival of Charisteria

September
5 - Ludi Romani begin
9 - Festival of Asclepigenia
13 - Festival of Lectisternia
14 - Feast of the Holy Cross
19 - Ludi Romani end
30 - Meditrinalia (Festival of Meditrina)

October
1 - Day sacred to Fides
3 - Feast of Dionysus
4 - Jejunium Cereris (day of fasting)
5 - Festival of Mania
7 - Day sacred to Victoria
9 - Day of Felicitas
11 - Festival of Vinalia
12 - Day sacred to Fortuna Redux
13 - Festival of Fontinalia
15 - Winter's Day
- Harvest Festival of Mars

November
1 - Pomonia (Feast of Pomona)
4 - Plebeian Games begin
8 - Festival of the Mania
13 - Festival of Feronia, Juna, Minerva, and Jupiter
- Feast of Jupiter
17 - Plebeian Games end
25 - Day sacred to Proserpina
29 - Festival of Saturnus

December
3 - Festival of Bona Dea
4 - Festival of Minerva
10 - Festival of Lus Mundi
15 - Consualia
16 - Festival of Sapientia
17 - Festival of Saturnalia begins
18 - Eponalia (Feast of Epona)
19 - Opalia (Festival of Ops)
21 - Divalia
~ Bruma (the winter solstice)
23 - Laurentina (Festival of Acca Larentia (Lara))
24 - Festival of Saturnalia ends
25 - Dies Natalis Invicti Solis (Birthday of the Invincible Sun God)

Information on select festivals & feasts
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