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February FEBRUARIUS
Sacred to Roman God-Goddess Februus- Juno Februa, mother of Mars and goddess of the passion of love and purifier and protector of the home. Homes were cleaned and blessed, offerings of reparation were given, and peace was made. Ethnic Equality Month. |
| 1 Imbolc,Oimelc is the fire festival between Yule and
the vernal equinox. Brigit (Celtic Earth-mother, Goddess of Fire, Wisdom, Poetry and sacred Wells), Demeter, Juno, Ethnic Equality Month--Time to honor all peoples and their positive traditions; time to meditate on the equality of all peoples, on the respect due to them. |
| 2 Candlemas Initiation of Witches, Groundhog day, The festival of Juno Februa, the presiding Goddess of the month. Wives' feast day. Old European Lunar New Year-Celebration of the Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the Seasons) being transformed from the Crone into the Virgin; celebrated with ritual bathing of divine images. Festival of Ceres-Sacred to goddess of grain. |
| 3 Anthesterion Noumenia-Old Greek festival honoring all the
Gods and Goddesses Brigantia, feast of Brigid of Ireland, the Celtic Goddess of the seasons, doctors, poets, smiths and women in childbirth, merged with the Christian feast of St. Brigid. Fires were lit to welcome Her as She traveled about blessing fields, animals, and people. Powamu Festival Setsuban (Japan) Blessing of the Throats |
| 4 King frost day. Mid-Winter/Groundhog's Day/Candlemas-Festival marking the transformation from death to life - the beginning of the agricultural year, awakening of hibernating animals, and return of migrating birds and fish. Observed with a candlelight procession to bless fields and seeds, recognition of newborns, and contemplation of life. Dionysus, festival of Greek God in which vines were pruned and sprinkled with wine, accompanied by ritual singing and dancing 2/1 to 2/14 |
| 5 St. Agatha, Fortuna, the Roman goddess of women, luck and fertility- day is for telling fortunes and practicing divination. Druid feast of air spirits Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony--for continuation of all life-sustaining things; celebrated with tobacco offerings, confession of offenses, singing, drumming, dancing, name-giving, and dream-telling. Iroquois consider themselves kin to all of Nature. Wyrd Tyche |
| 6 Feast of Egyptian Goddess Isis, the Healer--recalls Set (God of Challenges and Chaos) poisoning
child God Horus, and Isis intervening, defeating Set, and healing Horus. Aphrodite(Greek Goddess of Love) Feast of Ia St. Dorthea’s Day Feast of Greek Deities Aphrodite and Eros-Day to honor love and passion. |
| 7 Festival of Li Chum (China) |
| 8 Feast of Greek Goddess
Artemis (Roman Diana/Slavic
Diwitsa) - as creatrix, midwife of birthing creatures, protector of
the young, and punisher of child abusers. Anthesteria- Greek festival honoring Dionysus as Plouton, God of the dead, and welcoming the visiting dead from Elysium. [The new wine was presented to Dionysos, and libations were made.] also 2/12-2/13 Star Festival (China) |
| 9 Feast of Apollo, the god of the sun, which celebrates
the increasing light of the new year after the darkness of midwinter.
Apollo is also the god of archery, agriculture, animal husbandry, crops,
cattle, farmers, shepherds, sheep, poetry, medicine, prophesy and ethics.
Narvik Sun Pagaent (Norse) |
| 10 Anaitis (Persian) |
| 11 Our Lady at Lourdes-On this day in 1858 the apparition appeared
in a grotto which had been a shrine of the good goddess for centuries. |
| 12 Artemis or Diana, the virgin goddess of the moon and the
hunt who assists in childbirth and guards the young. The runic half-month of Sigel begins. This represents the force of good and ascendancy over darkness. Lincoln’s Birthday |
| 13 Old leap year's day. St. Matthias Disting-Festival at the beginning of the Norse Spring. Offerings were made to the Deities (particularly Odin and Frigg, Freyr and Freyja) Parentalia Observed from the Ides of Februarius until the Feralia. It is a time to honor the manes, or spirits of the ancestors. All but the last day is for private commemoration of the dead, but for the whole temples are closed, magistrates do not wear their togas of office, and no marriages may be performed. Offerings are made to the dead, particularly to ancestors of one's own family. |
| 14 St. Valentine's day is a festival of love. It is also sacred
to the as yet unborn Norse god Vali, the archer, and to Juno Februa,
the goddess of love. Girls should decorate their pillows
with five bay leaves, to dream of their lovers. Lupercalia is a Roman festival to the god Faunus, an aspect of Pan, who protects agriculture and gives oracles. It is a festival of much revelry. |
| 15 Sigfrid This is day is sacred to the Nordic
hero. Faunus, Lupercalia |
| 16 Celebration of Victoria (Roman) Navajo Sing--Festival in which fields are blessed in preparation for planting. Navajos believe Estsanatlehi/Changing Woman wields the power to constantly create and change the world. Devil's Dance (Tibetan New Year) |
| 17 The Celtic tree month of Luis
ends. Fornicalia, Roman festival for bread, ovens and the goddess thereof. It is also a festival for the growing of plants. Quirinalia sacred to Quirinus, one of the Capitoline Triad of gods (Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus). It is also known as the Feast of Fools. Birth of Kali (Hindu Destoyer-Goddess) |
| 18 Celtic tree month of Nuin
begins. Spandarmat-Persian festival honoring women. Tacita, Roman Goddess of silence and the halting of unfriendly speech and hostile tongues. Spenta Armaiti (Persia), Festival of Women (Sweden) |
| 19 The goddess month of
Bridhe ends. Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries-Old Greek festival celebrating the marriage of Goddess Kore and God Dionysos, following their return from Elysium. 2/21 eve to 2/28 eve Minerva, Nammu, Nina |
| 20 The goddess month of
Moura begins. Day of Tacita (Roman) |
| 21 Feralia, Roman observance when the manes, or
spirits of the dead were abroad in the world. It began with the
private ceremonies of the Parentalia. Offerings of food
were made at tombs by family members. Shivaratri (Hindu) |
| 22 Charistia or Caristia-Roman festival for renewing family ties
and patching up quarrels Concordia, Roman festival of the goddess of peace and harmony, the feast of good will, a day on which all disputes are to be resolved. Washington’s Birthday |
| 23 Terminalia the Roman festival of Terminus, the god of boundary stones and markers.
Boundary stones themselves are decorated with garlands, and sacrifices
and feasts were held at boundary stones by adjacent landowners.
Hygeia’s Day |
| 24 - Shiva (Hindu God of Destruction and Renewal)
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| 25 |
| 26 Pentagram Night |
| 27 The runic half-month of Tyr
begins. The rune Tyr
signifies self discipline and sacrifice to further an end. Equirria-A festival of horse racing dedicated to Mars, god of war and agriculture. |
| 28 Zamyaz(Ancient Percian Diety), Earth Goddesses: Ceres, Demeter, Gaia, Ge, Mauri |
| 29 Leap year's day. Traditionally this is the day of the
year when women can propose marriage to men. |