November draws its name from the Latin novem, meaning 'nine' - this is a lingering detail from the time when November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar. It is the fourth of four months with 30 days. November's birthstone is the topaz and its traditional flower is the chrysanthemum. November always begins on the same day of the week as February in common years and on the same day as March every year. In the Southern Hemisphere, November is the third month of spring.
|
November 1 Today is the Greater Sabbat of Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere (the Greater Sabbat of Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere).
November 2 All Souls' Day. In England, small offerings known as soul cakes are traditionally set out for the dead every year on this date. According to folklore, this is considered to be an extremely unlucky day for weddings.
November 7 Night of Hecate. In ancient Greece, a fire festival was held once a year on this night to honour her.
November 13 Back in medieval times, the thirteenth day after Halloween was considered a day of darkness, evil, and misfortune. In some parts of the world, the old superstition persists that if the thirteenth day after Halloween falls on a Friday, all persons born on that day will possess the power of the evil eye.
November 14 On this date, an annual Druidic festival known as the Feast of the Musicians is celebrated by many Wiccans to honour the ancient Celtic gods of music. Traditional Pagan folk songs are sung around an open fire as various offerings are cast into the flames.
November 28 Sophia, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and inner truth, is honoured and invoked annually on this day by secret Pagan rituals performed by those who seek to acquire arcane knowledge.
November 30 St. Andrew's Night. In many rural villages in Germany, young women still perform traditional love divinations on this night. On this date in 1942, Otter Zell (Pagan priest and the founder of The Church of All Worlds) was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. |
