October Calendar

The first day of each month is the Kalends, sacred to Juno. The Nones falls on the 7th. The Ides, sacred to Jupiter, falls on the 15th. The 2nd, 8th and 16th are unlucky (ater).

Sacra Publica
11th Meditrinalia
13th Fontinalia
15th Equus October
19th Armilustrium

Two important cycles are observed in October. The agricultural cycle is represented by the Meditrinalia (sampling the new wine) and the Fontinalia (controlling natural water courses and springs). The end of the military season is marked by the Equus October and Armilustrium.

Fontinalia

Jay Walljasper put it very well, writing in the Utne Reader in 2001:

"Of all the mysteries of life on earth, none is more wondrous than water. An alchemical creation out of two common elements, it fosters all plant, animal, and human existence. This fact is easily overlooked in an age when the twist of a wrist brings an unending flow of the life-giving liquid, but to our ancestors around the world water was a miracle deserving of worship. Across pagan lands, explains Anneli Rufus in the World Holiday Book, rivers, springs, and wells were revered as homes of the gods. Holy wells can still be found throughout the world today, including more than 3,000 in Ireland alone.

"At the end of the sultry summer season in ancient Rome, citizens celebrated Fontinalia, a tribute to Fontus, a water god, by decorating public fountains with garlands of flowers and throwing petals into the waters. At a time when drought and water pollution threaten millions of people and multinational corporations are hatching plans to privatize water resources in the developing world, we too should be grateful for the gift of fresh water. Celebrate Fontinalia by finding ways to reduce your use of water, by lending a hand to environmental organizations fighting to provide access to clean water for everyone on the planet, and by planning a water-worship ritual of your own—perhaps sprinkling flowers into a nearby stream or lake." Source

October 8th – 11th: "II CONVENTVS NOVAE ROMAE NORTH AMERICA", sponsored by AVSTRORIENTALIS PROVINCIA of Nova Roma. Castra Rota, 79 No. Manker Street, Brunson So. Carolina. Several reconstructed rituals are planned.