Ante Diem X Kalendas September

Modern Date : August 23rd

Ante Diem X Kalendas September
The Volcanalia

This day is for special religious observance.

The Volcanalia
The Volcanalia is a festival sacred to Volcanus (Vulcan), the fire god. On this day great bonfires were lit at night in his honor and feasts were held. The Romans learned the hard way that temples to Volcanus had to be built outside the city, as the bonfires and festivals could get out of control by excited participants. Into the fire the Romans would throw pro animus humanis fishes from the Tiber that were caught in the area Vulcani. Volcanoes, earthquakes and lightning were all the domain of Volcanus, and these occurences were often seen as prodigies to the Romans, and were duly reported to the senate.

Agricola died this day in 93 AD, in the consulship of Collega and Priscus.

On this day in 410 AD the Visigoths under Alaric, who was killed in the attack, capture and sack Rome. The rape and pillage went on for three days.

August was originally called Sextilis, or the sixth month (after March). It was renamed in honor of Augustus Caesar, the most revered of the Roman emperors.

This is the seventh day commemorating Odin's Ordeal on the world tree Yggdrasil.


Nemesea
Nemesea was a Greek festival honoring the goddess Nemesis, defender of the relics and memory of the dead from insults and injury. The Greeks called this the Day of Moira. It is dedicated to the Genia of personal fate. The threads of Moira draw all things in life together. Her particular symbols are the wheel and the scales. Vertumnalia was a celebration of the Roman god Vertumnus who changed the seasons and transformed flowers to fruits. Vulcan, god of fire and the forge, and Stata Mater, who causes fires to go out were honored with the Vulcanalia. The water nymphs, Ops Opifera, Quirinus, and the Goddess Juturna, a fountain Goddess, were honored in the hope that they would keep fire from damaging the land or homes.


St Rose of Lima
The first saint of the America,s, this young girl was called Rose after the flowers she grew in her childhood. She became a recluse living in a hut in her parents' garden, and wore a crown of thorns. She is the patron saint of South America, the Philippines and florists.

Virgin, born at Lima, Peru 20 April, 1586; died there 30 August, 1617.

St. Rose of Lima is the patroness of Latin America and the Philippines. This South American Saint's real name was Isabel, but she was such a beautiful baby that she was called Rose, and that name remained. As she grew older, she became more and more beautiful, and one day, her mother put a wreath of flowers on her head to show off her loveliness to friends. But Rose had no desire to be admired, for her heart had been given to Jesus. So she put a long pin into that wreath and it pierced her so deeply, that she had a hard time getting the wreath off afterward. Another time she became afraid that her beauty might be a temptation to someone, since people could not take their eyes off her. Therefore, she rubbed her face with pepper until
it was all red and blistered.

St. Rose worked hard to support her poor parents and she humbly obeyed them, except when they tried to get her to marry. That she would not do. Her love of Jesus was so great that when she talked about Him, her face glowed and her eyes sparkled.

Rose had many temptations from the devil, and there were also many times when she had to suffer a feeling of terrible loneliness and sadness, for God seemed far away. Yet she cheerfully offered all these troubles to Him. In fact, in her last long, painful sickness, this heroic young woman use to pray: "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase Your love in my heart."

Many miracles followed her death. She was beatified by Clement IX, in 1667, and canonized in 1671 by Clement X, the first American to be so honoured. Her feast is celebrated 30 August. She is represented wearing a crown of roses.