Ante Diem VI Kalendas Februarias

Modern Date : January 27th

Ante Diem VI Kalendas Februarias
Sixth Day to the Kalends of February

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

The emperor Nerva died on this day of apoplexy (stroke or brain hemhorrage) in 98 AD after a fit of anger. He was 62 and was succeeded by Trajan.

Columella says of this day, "The bright star on the breast of the Lion sets: sometimes it is a sign: the winter is divided into two parts at this point."

This month is sacred to Janus, the god of Beginnings. Janus is the porter of heaven and considered the guardian deity of gates and doors. He is often shown as two-headed since doors face both ways.


Sementivae Feria
The Sementivae Feria, feast of sowing, is a Roman holy day. Janus is called upon first, then sacrifices are made to Tellus, the earth, and Ceres, goddess of agriculture. All the minor deities who presided over the operations of farming are invoked: Vervactor, the god of breaking up fallow land; Reparator, of renewing its powers; Obarator, of ploughing; Occator, of harrowing; Imporcitor, of drawing furrows; Insitor, of grafting; Sarritor, of hoeing; Subruncinator, of weeding; Messor, of harvesting; Convector, of gathering in; Conditor, of storing up; Promitor, of bringing out for use. At the end, the farmers add to their prayers, sive deo, sive deoe "any unknown god, male or female."


Pre-New Year Visits
The day before New Year's Eve, the Chinese visit their relatives and pupils visit their teachers and charity is distributed to the poor.

Ante Diem VII Kalendas Februarias

Modern Date : January 26th

Ante Diem VII Kalendas Februarias
Seventh Day to the Kalends of February

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

This day was Mecheir 1 (Macedonian Xandicus 1), the first day of the month Mecheir, in the Egyptian calendar.

This month is sacred to Janus, the god of Beginnings. The Romans had numerous temples to Janus. Whenever war was declared, the chief magistrate would lead a ceremony in which the doors of the main temple of Janus were opened. In time of peace they were normally shut.


Cerunnos
In the ancient Britannic calendar, this is one of the year's most solemn festivals of initiation. It is sacred to Cerunnos, the deer- horned God who is considered the master of all communications with animals, and the threshold keeper who tests the worthiness of all who seek knowledge of the secrets of nature.


St. Francois de Sales
In the Roman Catholic calendar, this is the feast of St. Francois de Sales, who gave up the promise of a spectacular career in the King's service to dedicate himself to missionary work, and went to Geneva in the late 16th century to convert Calvinists, a task at which he is said to have achieved the huge success of bringing some 72,000 of Europe's most dismal Protestants back to the fold, largely through methods that were mild and joyous rather than stern. He reportedly coined the saying that "You can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar."