September Calendar

The first day of the month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno. The Nones falls on the 5th and the Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 13th. The 2nd, 6th and 14th are unlucky (ater).


The major event this month is the Ludi Romani (Roman Games). Celebrate the Ludi Romani from the 5th through the 19th, avoiding the unlucky days on the 6th and 14th. The Ludi Romani themselves are held in honor of Jupiter and are centered around the Ides, which itself is always sacred to Jupiter and which this month is also the Epulum Iovis, a feast honoring Jupiter.

Traditionally, the Roman Games started with a procession from the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter to an altar in the Circus Maximus. They featured chariot races, boxing, and gladiatorial contests as well as theatrical competitions featuring Greek and Roman classics and new plays.

Ideas for celebrating the Roman games:

• Cook Roman food and have a Roman dinner. Set a place for Jupiter. (Epulum Iovis)
• Organize, participate in or attend sporting events. Dedicate your participation to Jupiter.
• Organize, participate in or attend theatrical events. Dedicate your participation to Jupiter.

Remember that the Roman religion is based on the community and the family. Make these into events for your family, friends or neighbors. The season of the Roman Games is also a good time to make some Roman clothes. Have a tunic-making party and you'll be ready for Saturnalia later in the year! Tunic instructions are here, and also see the bottom of this page for links to more Roman WikiHow articles.

Sarmatian Days

Pontifex Cn. Cornelius Lentulus

Sarmatian Days (Poltava, Ukraine) was a huge success this year. We had three couples wed in a Roman ceremony. Two days later, three Sarmatians made a votum, an augur publicus was consecrated by Pontifex Cn. Cornelius Lentulus and then a templum was established for the building of a temple to Jupiter.

One of the most striking and memorable features was the strength and clarity of the positive signs that were given when auspices were requested. There was ample opportunity for negative signs, but only positive ones were seen. For example, when auspices were requested for establishment of the templum, and when silencium was achieved, a bird flew out of the left and directly into the space designated as the templum. The positive signs for the weddings included a double rainbow that appeared after a sudden shower, the first rain to fall there for six weeks.

Sarmatia Provincia (Russian)