Vertumnalia, in honour of Vertumnus and Pomona

In Roman mythology, Vertumnus (Vortumnus, Vertimnus) was the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees. Like the seasons and the fruit trees, Vertumnus was a shapeshifter.

Using his shapeshifting power, he tricked the dryad (wood nymph) Pomona, the patron of orchards and gardens, into becoming his wife by disguising himself as a crone ...

The Ides of August was also sacred to Jupiter and known as the feriae Jovi, or Festival of Jove, and to Diana, the goddess of the moon, and called the Festival of Diana. Diana was sometimes viewed as Jupiter's female equivalent (not his wife, who was Juno). On this day, Diana's temple on the Aventine Hill was consecrated; today cow horns (symbols of Hercules), were hung in the front of the temple ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, folklore, mythology, ancient+rome, deities