January draws its name from Janus, the ancient Roman God of beginnings and endings. It is the first of the seven Gregorian months, with 31 days. January's birthstone is the garnet and its traditional flowers are the carnation and the snowdrop. January always begins on the same day of the week as April and July in leap years, and on the same day as October in common years. In the Southern Hemisphere, January is the second month of summer.
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January 1 (New Year's Day) This day is sacred to the Fates. The first day of January was dedicated by the ancient Romans to the god Janus. Janus has two identical faces, looking in opposite directions: one to the past, and the other to the future. He is a god of gates and doorways, and associated with journeys and beginnings.
January 3 In ancient Greece, a dramatic festival called the Lenaia was held each year on this date in honour of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
January 5 Twelfth Night (also Wassail Eve) marks the end of the Christmas season - all Christmas decorations should be taken down on this night or the following day (Epiphany) so as not to bring bad luck.
January 6 Day of the Triple Goddess: today, honour the Triple Goddess in whichever form you feel comfortable. On this day in 1988, The Circle Sanctuary near Mt. Horeb in Wisconsin, USA was legally recognised as a church of Witchcraft.
January 8 Old Druid's New Year. Midwife's Day (dedicated to the goddess Babo) was celebrated annually on this date in ancient Greece. In ancient times, this day was dedicated to the Norse goddess Freyja, goddess of both love and fertility.
January 9 Today in the year 1880, "Old Dorothy" Clutterbuck (1880-1951) was born. She was a hereditary Witch and member of a New Forest coven, and the High Priestess that initiated Gerald B. Gardner (founder of the Gardnerian trad) in 1939.
January 13 In pre-Christian Ireland, today was celebrated each year as the Feast of Brewing by the Druids.
January 15 A festival called the Feast of the Ass was celebrated each year on this date in ancient Rome in honour of the goddess Vesta and her sacred animal, the donkey. Vesta is goddess of the hearth, home and family and in her temple was a sacred flame tended by the Vestal Virgins (six virgin priestesses).
January 19 In Iceland the Thorrablottar (also called Husband's Day) is celebrated on this day every year. In pre-Christian times, it was celebrated in honour of the god Thor.
January 21 Saint Agnes' Day. It is said that on the eve of Saint Agnes' Day an unmarried woman will see the face of her future husband in a dream. This day is named after the Roman Catholic child martyr who was executed in the year 304 A.D. for refusing to marry and is an ideal time for love spells.
January 22 Festival of the Muses. Each year on this date, the spirits that inspire all poets, musicians, and artists are honoured.
January 23 The Day of Hathor is celebrated annually on this date in Egypt to honour the ancient goddess of motherhood, beauty and love. |
