Wheat in a field. Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wheat_in_field.jpg. It is now mid April. The cold chill of Winter has been banished, and there will only be warmer days to come. New green growth is springing up everywhere. The… Read More ›
calendar
December 5 – The Festival of Faunus
In the ancient Roman calendar, each month had three special days assigned to it: the Kalends, the Nones, and the Ides. The “Kalends” was the first day in each month, and it’s from this Latin word that we get our… Read More ›
December 15 – A Day of Prayers, Sacrifices, and…Mule Racing? The Ancient Roman Consualia Festival
In the ancient Roman calendar, December 15 was (at least according to some ancient authors) one of the main feast days for the sea god Neptune. December 15 could also be called “Equine Appreciation Day”, because it was essentially a… Read More ›
December 1 – The Kalends of December
Today is the first day of December. In the minds of some, this day marks the unofficial beginning of Winter, as the Autumn harvests have been gathered in, most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees by this… Read More ›
September 5-19 – The Ludi Magni Romani, “The Great Roman Games”
The Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, painted by Alfredo Tominz (1890).Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. Let the games begin! September was an exciting time in ancient Rome, because it was in early to middle September that one of the… Read More ›
August 15 – The Summer Compitalia: Ancient Rome’s Summer Street Fair
Summer Flowers, painted by John William Godward (1903). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godward_Summer_Flowers_1903.jpg Do you remember the days before the coronavirus pandemic when we could all gather together in public spaces for special events: block parties, concerts, street fairs, etc?… Read More ›
August 19 – The Vinalia Rustica: The Ancient Roman Country Wine Festival
Vinyard in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria. Photograph by Dimitry Anikin (September 9, 2009). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinyard_in_Perchtoldsdorf.jpg. It’s no secret that Italians love their wine, and justifiably so, for Italy produces some of the best wine in the world. The… Read More ›
July 19-21 – The Lucaria: The Festival of the Sacred Grove
Photo by Jason R. Abdale (June 29, 2018). Trees are wonderful – most people will agree with that. They provide oxygen for us to breathe, they remove pollution and excess carbon dioxide from the air, they give us shade on… Read More ›
April 28 – The Floralia: The Ancient Roman Flower Festival
Get ready for some ancient Roman flower power, dude! April 28 was date of the Floralia, a festival dedicated to the goddess Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of flowers and fertility. Flora was associated with Spring, the season of new… Read More ›
February 2 – The Feast of Ceres and the Blessing of the Seeds
Today is February 2. Most Americans know this as “Groundhog Day” in which, according to their superstitions, a groundhog is able to predict if warm or cold weather will come. The story is that if a groundhog emerges from its… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
