Ante Diem V Nonas October

Modern Date : October 3rd

Ante Diem V Nonas October
Fifth Day to the Nones of October

This is one of the dies comitiales when committees of citizens could vote on political or criminal matters.

This day continued the Festival of Dionysius in Greece and was celebrated in Rome until it was banned by government edict. The parties tended to get wild and out of hand. Dionysius (Bacchus), the god of wine, was the son of Zeus and Semele. As wine was considered to have medicinal and cultural value, Dionysius was viewed as a promoter of civilization, a lawgiver, and a lover of peace.

Today is the Moroccan New Year.

October was the eighth month of the old Roman calendar and was sacred to the goddess Astraea, daughter of Zeus and Themis. The name October comes from Octo, meaning eight (March used to be the first month).


New Moon conjunct Sun in Libra
New Moon conjunct Sun in Libra, traditionally considered one of the most harmonious and cooperative New Moons in the calendar, coming as it does at a time when domestic teams must start to work on getting the harvest in and weighing it - the most obvious function of Libra, the Scales. This New Moon is both festive and spiritually advantageous, with Neptune in Aquarius trine (120° from) the Sun-Moon conjunction in Libra, while Mercury is conjunct Jupiter in Libra, and both are sextile (60° from) Pluto in Sagittarius.

At this New Moon there is an annular solar eclipse, visible in all of Europe, including Iceland, all of Africa except the southern tip, western Asia, including India and the Indian ocean. The eclipse begins two hours before the New Moon, is exact at the moment of the New Moon, and ends two hours later.

In the Celtic/Druid and Wiccan calendars, this New Moon is called the Falling Leaf Moon.


Cherokee Propitiation Festival
The Cherokee nation celebrated its Cementation and Propitiation Festival on this day. Men would exchange clothes to symbolize the human union with the Cherokee deities. Then they would take a dip in running water to wash away barriers to the gods. Celebrated a day or two after the Great New Moon Festival, the seven counselors meet to set the date for the beginning of the Propitiation Festival, whose beginning was always seven nights later. It marks the expressing of devotional feelings to those who are the source of all their blessings, the cleansing of impurities from the previous year, and the replacing of fires in the home.