Monthly Archives: January 2020
Here is a list of the pagan, religious, and secular holidays for January 2020 that have thus far been shared here on The Pagan Calendar. As you can see I have divided it into sections with the almanac and astrological dates listed separately.
Almanac:
- 1 thru 5: Quadrantids Meteor Shower
- 10: Full Moon, Wolf Moon, Prenumbral Lunar Eclipse
- 24 : New Moon
Astrological Info – The Sun:
- 1 thru 20: Sun In Capricorn
- 21 thru 31: Sun in Aquarius
Astrological Info – The Moon:
- 2: Moon enters Aries
- 4: Moon enters Taurus
- 6: Moon enters Gemini
- 9: Moon enters Cancer
- 11: Moon enters Leo
- 13: Moon enters Virgo
- 15: Moon enters Libra
- 17: Moon enters Scorpio
- 19: Moon enters Sagittarius
- 21: Moon enters Capricorn
- 24: Moon enters Aquarius
- 26: Moon enters Pisces
- 29: Moon enters Aries
Lucky and Unlucky Days:
- January has 6 days that are lucky:
1, 2, 15, 26, 27 and 28. - January has 7 days that are unlucky:
3, 4, 6, 13, 14, 20 and 21.
January Lore and General Info:
- The Theme For January
- January Celebrations and Rituals
- January Activities and Lore
- January Moon Names
Celebrations Around The World
- 1: Shichi Fukujin – Seven Deities of Luck Celebration
- 1: Gantan-sai – Shinto New Year Holy Day, see also Shogatsu
- 1: Apple Gifting Day
- 1: Daisy Day
- 1 thru 3: Kalends of January
- 2: Bodhi Day
- 2: Advent of Isis
- 2: Mange Loa, also called Breaking of the Cakes, or Jan Case Gateaux
- 3: Snow Day
- 4: Evergreen Day
- 5: Festival of Lares Compitales
- 5: Feast of Old Roman Goddess Befana
- 5: Twelfth Night
- 5 or 6: Festival of Kore
- 5 and 6: Feast of God Poseidon – dates varied from Dec – Jan
- 6: Epiphany
- 6: Dia de los Reyes – Three Kings Day
- 6: Handsel Monday
- 6: Plough Monday
- 6: Distaff Day
- 7: Russian Christmas
- 7: Genna – Ethiopian Christmas
- 7: Feast of Sekhmet – Egyptian New Year’s Day (alternative date Aug 7)
- 8: Midwives’ Day
- 8 thru 9: The Haloa
- 9: Agonalia – Festival of Janus (alternative date Jan 11)
- 9: Raud the Strong’s Day
- 9-10 : Tu B’shvat – New Year for Trees
- 11 and 15: The Carmentalia – Festival of Carmenta
- 12: The Compitalia
- 12 thru 16: Rustic Dionysia (alternative date Nov 28)
- 13: St Knut’s Day
- 14 – 15: Dondoyaki
- 15: Black Christ Festival (Guatemalan)
- 15: Pongal – Festival of Makar Sankranti
- 15: Dōsojin Matsuri – Japanese Fire Festival – dates may vary
- 16: Festival of Concordia
- 16: St Peter’s Day – also Jun 29
- 16 and 17: Old Greek festival in which offerings were made to the Wind Gods of the Eight Directions.
- 17: Friday the 17th
- 17: Good Luck Day – Festival of Felicitas
- 18: Kitchen God Festival (Xiao Nian Festival)
- 19: Blessing of the Waters
- 19: Popcorn Day
- 19: Timkat – Ethiopian Epiphany
- 19 : Dakini Day (Tibetan)
- 21: Eve of St Agnes
- 23: Night of Hekate Suppers
- 24: Feriae Sementivae – Blessing the Seeds
- 24: Thorrablot (Þorrablót)
- 24: Gold Rush Day
- 24: Festival of Ekeko (Bolivian) – lasts 3 weeks
- 24: Mauni Amavasya
- 24: A Day of Silence
- 24 thru Feb 2: Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony – dates may vary
- 25: The Noumenia
- 25: Burns Supper
- 25: St Paul’s Day
- 25: St Dwynwen’s Day
- 26: Celebrating The Agathos Daimon
- 26: Chinese New Year – Year of the Rat
- 28: Daisy Day
- 29: Red Carnation Day
- 30: Up Helly Aa – Scottish Viking celebration
- 30 thru 31: Feast of the Charites – dates vary widely also listed as Jan 17 – 18, Apr 18 – 19, May 26, Jul 9 – 10, or Oct 13.
- 30 thru Feb. 2: Februalia
- 31: Everyman’s Birthday
- 31: Disfest/Disablot
Best Days:
- Plant above ground crops: 4, 5, 9, 26 – 28, 31
- Plant root crops: 10, 15 – 18, 21 – 23
- Plant flowers: 9, 10, 15, 16
- Transplant: 10, 17, 18
- Seed beds: 9, 10, 17, 18
- Tend hydroponics: 10, 27 – 29
- Prune to encourage growth: 10, 15 – 18, 21 – 23
- Prune to discourage growth: 1 – 3, 24, 25, 29, 30
- Apply chemical fertilizer: 11, 26 – 28
- Apply organic fertilizer: 10, 17, 18
- Destroy weeds: 11 – 14
- Control pests: 20, 21
- Harvest crops: 11, 12, 19, 20
- Wean: 19 – 28
- Kill farm meat: 17
- Set hens and incubators: 2 – 9
- Castrate: 1, 2, 21 – 31
Any January lore, almanac, astrological, and celebration dates that have been shared after this post was published can be found by searching the January posts to see what’s new.
In Tabayama Village of Kitatsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture, a (a Fire Festival dedicated to the Dōsojin or the deity of pathways and roads practiced throughout Eastern Japan. The festivity called Dondoyaki, and is celebrated between 14th and 15th January.
In this festivity, the villagers gather their Mayudama Dumplings, decorative rice dumplings made for the Japanese New Year and suspended from lines or tree tweeds. These are cooked over a bonfire and then eaten. Eating those dumplings is believed to prevent cavities, while the heat from the bonfire makes the person healthy for the rest of the year. Ashes from the fire can be used as snake and disease repellent as well as fire hazard preventative.
In Voodoo, Voudoo or Voodun, Mange Loa is the feeding of the Loa (Gods). This refers to a large annual feasting of all the Loa during which they are offered drinks, syrups, cakes, birds, chickens and even bulls. Other names for this feast are “The Breaking of the Cakes” and “Jan Case Gateaux.” It is believed that the powers of all Loa increase at Earth level during these celebrations often held on January 2.
In this, the most frequently performed ritual in voodoo, food or animal sacrifices are offered up to the Loa. Literally, this is a “feeding of the Gods.” Each Loa has a taste for a particular food or drink, all the better to summon the Loa to the living world. When rituals are held outside, food and other offerings might be left at a crossroad or other place of significance
Strictly speaking, every voodoo ceremony at which offerings are presented – birds, a goat and chickens, even a bull, and always the accompanying offerings such as liquor or cakes – is a feeding of the Loa; an augmentation of their powers at earth level.
Today give offerings to your personal Loa or deity. This both gives strength and power to the Loa/deity and also strengthens the connections between you both.
Who are the Loa?
Loa (also spelled lwa) are the spirits of Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. They are also referred to as “mystères” and “the invisibles” and are intermediaries between Bondye (from French Bon Dieu, meaning “good God”) —the Supreme Creator, who is distant from the world—and humanity.
Unlike saints or angels, however, they are not simply prayed to, they are served. They are each distinct beings with their own personal likes and dislikes, distinct sacred rhythms, songs, dances, ritual symbols, and special modes of service. Contrary to popular belief, the Loa are not deities in and of themselves; they are intermediaries for, and dependent on, the distant Bondye.
The Loa protect children from misfortune. In return the families must feed the Loa through periodic rituals in which food, drink and other gifts are offered to the spirits. Services are usually held at a sanctuary on family land.
Collected from various sources