<i>Felix Ianuaria!</i>

Today is a number of things in the Roman calendar, several of which are of significance to the Ekklesía Antínoou. I mentioned yesterday about the death of Aelius Caesar, and that still weighs heavy on our minds; and yet, today is also a day to rejoice, and to celebrate the gifts and guidance of a number of deities.

Most importantly, today is the Kalends of January, and as a result it is the festival of Ianus (a.k.a. Janus), the two-headed Roman god of peace and war, doorways and ports, crossroads and beginnings/ends. The above image is an Etruscan version of Ianus, although there are other Roman versions showing one old and one young face, or a male and a female face, and there are even four-faced versions (Ianus Quadrifrons). Ovid’s Fasti has a great deal to say about Ianus in his first book. Later today, when I have access to all of my texts, I’ll post excerpts of Ovid’s work, as well as that of various others–and, I’ll also post a prayer to Ianus that I use on a regular basis! Also, I draw your attention to a coin made by Q. Poppaeus Sabinus that depicts Ianus, which I use as an image of Ianus for cultic purposes, both on my shrine at home and when I travel (coins are very useful in that manner!).

Poppaeus has further suggested making prayers and offerings on this day to the other Ekklesía Antínoou often-honored gateway deities Wepwawet and Hekate for an auspicious beginning to the year–and I certainly agree that would be a wonderful thing to do.

Interestingly, this is also one of the dates that is given for the Compitalia, a festival in honor of the Lares Compitales, the Lares who are the guardians of the crossroads. Given that this is also one of Ianus’ functions, it seems appropriate to recognize that date today as well. Cicero, a Sanctus of the Ekklesía Antínoou (whose dies natalis is on January 3!), is the one who records it having taken place on this date, although individual communities seem to have held it anywhere from the 17th of December to sometime in early January.

In further Roman festivals, today the foundation of the temple of Asklepios/Aesculapius was also celebrated in Rome itself. This particular temple was located on the Tiber Island, and was founded in 293 BCE after the Sibylline Books were consulted in relation to a plague that ravaged the city. A delegation was dispatched to Epidauros to obtain an image of the god, and a snake was given to them, which curled itself around the mast of the ship bound back to Rome, and then slithered onto the island when they arrived, all of which was taken as auspicious. Salus, the Roman equivalent of Asklepios’ daughter Hygeia, was also honored in the temple; and eventually, other deities were honored on the island, including several having to do with the guarantee of oaths, and the boundary god Faunus.

Outside of the specifically Roman sphere, today (and the evening before it, for that matter) is one of the biggest holidays of the year in Scotland (and a full 93% of my regular readers happen to be Scottish–at least on the weekends–?!?), namely Hogmanay, which gives us many of the secular New Year’s Eve traditions, including the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” (a Robert Burns song!). In Shinto, today is also one of the biggest dates of the year to visit shrines, namely the Hatsumoude or “first shrine visit of the year.” A particularly American custom on the day of Jan. 1 itself is to eat collard greens, black eyed peas, and cornbread, which I will be doing later this afternoon with my neighbors.

Over the last few years, I’ve rung in the first moments of the new year itself at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, which has been enjoyable; last night, I was in Seattle at an Abney Park and Unwoman concert with many friends, which was a great way to ring in the year as well. There is a lot I’d like to get accomplished in relation to Antinous and the Ekklesía Antínoou this year, and I hope that many of you will be able to join us for some of our rituals and public events (particularly at PantheaCon in San Jose in February), as well as on other occasions, on this blog, and in reading some of our upcoming publications.

In any case, and however you might celebrate today, please do so in safety and good health (the best blessings of Salus and Aesculapius, in other words!), and with much joy and good and auspicious tidings for the year to come!

Ave Ianus! Ave Aesculapie et Sale! Ave Lares Compitales! Ave Ave Antinoe!