ianua is the Latin word for door- plural ianuae. From this comes ianitor (door keeper) and the god Ianus (pronounced Yanus), overseer of the beginnings and endings of things. The adjective ianuarius describes anything to do with Ianus, including his month. Happy Mensis Ianuarius!
On this day - January 1 - Romans celebrated the festival of Aesculapius, healing god and son of Apollo and Coronis. Wishing you a blessed 2020, filled with health, happiness and - wherever needed - healing.
On or near this day - January 3 - Romans celebrated the Compitalia, honouring the Lares Compitales, spirits of the crossroad. Romans processed with small images of the Lares and made sacrifices wherever roads met. The word comes from the Latin compitum, which means crossroad.
On this day - January 5 - Romans celebrated a festival of the goddess Vica Pota, whose shrine stood at the base of the Velian Hill. Later Romans identified her with winged Victoria, although she is probably an older Italic deity. She appears in the Apocolocyntosis. 🎃
On this day - January 9 - Romans celebrated the Agonalia, an obscure religious festival celebrated a few times a year. The Romans themselves disputed the purpose of the Agonalia, which included the sacrifice of a ram by a priest named the rex sacrificulus.
On this day - January 11 - Romans celebrated the Juternalia, a festival honouring Juturna. Juturna was the goddess of a Roman spring which Frontinus (Aqueducts of Rome) mentions as having healing qualities. Today, all those who worked with water honoured the goddess.
On this day, January 11, Romans celebrated the Carmentalia, a festival honouring the prophetic goddess Carmentis. Her gifts allowed her to choose the future site of Rome as a new home for her son Evander. The Porta Carmentalis carried her name.
On this day - January 27 - the Romans honoured the twin gods Castor and Pollux with a festival. They were popular gods and the common Latin oaths mecastor and edepol derive from their names. They were patrons of horse riders.
Lego has its birthday today - January 29! dies natalis felix tibi sit, Lego! Happy Birthday, from Legonium.