Calendula ( lat. Kalendae or Calendae ) - in the ancient Roman lunar-solar calendar, the name of the first day of each month. Calendars coincide with the new moon [1] .
Calendars, as well as non and ides , were used to count days within a month: from these three moments determined for each month, days were counted back (for example, the sixth day before March calendars, etc.) [1] .
The word "calends" comes from the Latin verb calare (to proclaim), since priests ( pontiffs ) announced the beginning of the month or year at public meetings [2] . The word Kalendae was customary to write through the letter “K”, and not “C”, which the Romans themselves explained by the borrowing of the verb calo from other Greek. καλῶ - call (see Macrobius , Saturnalia 1.15 ) .
The calendars paid interest on monetary debt [3] . Related to this event is the Latin saying Ad Calendas Graecas (Greek calendars) , meaning "it is unknown when" or "never" [4] .
Calendar Holidays
The ancient Roman holiday of January calendars ( from January 1 to 5 ) ended the whole festive cycle, common to the whole Greco-Roman world; This cycle began with Vrumalia in honor of Dionysus of Thracia ( from November 24 to December 17 ), including Saturnalia and Opalia ( from December 17 to 23 ), as well as Vota ( from December 23 to January 1 ). Celebrations reached their climax at the end - in the January calendars, a holiday of general joy, fraternized estates, ages and positions [5] .
Christians continued to celebrate the pagan holiday of January calendars, which caused a protest of the church. In the fight against this remnant of paganism, the church contrasted the pagan celebration of the new year with its own festive cycle, Christmas ( from December 24 to January 4 ), pagan memories - Christian, ancient masks and games - walking with a star and kings-magicians . The result was a complex ritual, which included, along with Christian, pagan elements [5] .
Under the influence of Christianity, the celebration of the January calendars under Justinian I was extended to the 12-day Christmas cycle from Christmas to Epiphany , and according to this, calendars began to mean not only songs for the new year, but more often all Christmas or holy songs. These traditions later became very widespread among the Slavs (see Kolyada ) [5] .
Other holidays :
- The February calendars were dedicated to Juno Sospita .
- March calendars - Roman New Year. They were considered the birthday of Venus and were celebrated as “female calends” ( Matronalia ), marked by “matrons,” that is, married women.
- The April Calends, or “Veneralia,” were dedicated to Venus of the Turning Heart ( Latin: Verticordia ) and “Male” Fortune Virilis, which was prayed on April 1 by lower-class women in men's baths.
- May calends were dedicated to the awakening of the Good Goddess and were celebrated in her temple among flowers and festive fun.
- The calends of June were dedicated to Cardea - the goddess of thresholds, doors and especially door hinges, as well as the goddess of health.
- The October calends were dedicated to Ceres (from October 1 to 5) - the goddess of harvest and fertility, as well as Fidesz - the goddess of harmony and fidelity.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2008 .
- ↑ Klimishin I.A. The history of our calendar. Ancient Roman calendar // Calendar and chronology. - 2nd ed., Trans. and add. - M .: Nauka, 1985 .-- S. 197-198.
- ↑ Calendar // Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 12. - M. , 2008 .-- S. 491.
- ↑ Dushenko K.V. , Bagrinovsky G. Yu. Ad calendas (kalendas) Graecas // Big Dictionary of Latin Quotes and Expressions / Under the scientific. ed. D.O. Torshilova . - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. - M.: ABC-Atticus, 2017 .-- S. 25.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Kolyada // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
Literature
- Calendles // Big Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 12. - M. , 2008 .-- S. 495.
- Calendles // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.