Happy Terminalia

Happy Terminalia (end of the Roman year) a day late – so Happy New Year!

February 23 is Terminalia, the day that marks the end of the Roman calendar year. Terminalia was a Roman festival honoring the god Terminus, (the god of boundaries and surveying). His statue is a stone or post stuck in the ground between properties. On the festival adjacent property owners decorated the stones with garlands and offered sacrifices of corn, wine, honey and sacrificed a young lamb or pig singing the praises of the god.

The Romulus Calendar had 10 named months:

1. Martius “March” (“of Mars” god of war) time for the resumption of war [31 days]
2. Aprilis “April” (for Venus goddess of beauty) [30 then 29, then 30 days]
3. Maius “May” (“of Maia” goddess of spring) [31 days]
4. Junius “June” (“of Juno” principal goddess of the Pantheon) [30 then 29 then 30 days]
5. Quintilis later Julius “July” (fifth month then “of Julius” emperor) [31 days]
6. Sextilis later Augustus “August” (sixth month then “of Augustus” emperor) [30 then 29 then 30 days]
7. September “September” (seventh month) [30 then 29 then 30 days]
8. October “October” (eighth month) [31 days]
9. November “November” (ninth month) [30 then 29 then 30 days]
10. December “December” (tenth month) [30 then 29 then 31 days]

• two unnamed months in the dead of winter

King Numa Pompilius, circa 700 BC, added

1. Januarius “January” (for Janus, god of beginnings and endings) [29 then 31 days]
2. Februarius “February” (for Februus god of purification) [28, then 23/24 days by Pompilius, then 28 with 29 every 4th year by Julius]
3. Intercalaris “intercalendar” to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons (origin or leap year) [27 days until eliminated]

Julius Cæsar began reforming the calendar in 46 BC and it was completed by Augustus Cæsar in 8 BC.