Parentalia - Visit your long deceased ancestor today!

Today is the day to visit old Great Auntie Margery at her ancient walk in tomb.

Remember to take wine, flowers and milk as it is a well known fact that ghosts love them. However they also take great umbrage if you decide to get married today or if you worship at the local temple. There is nothing worse than a grumpy ghost so we at Wyrd Kalendar have created a poster for you to remember these important rules so that you can commune with the dead without fear of retribution.

If you are having trouble getting hold of Wine, Flowers and Milk you could try WINOWILK!

Developed by Parentalia Labs, this contains all the Wine, Flowers and Milk and ghost would needs and will guarantee you are safe from any hauntings by angry ancestral spectres!*

*Hauntings by angry ancestral spectres may still occur.

You don't need to drown Old Men anymore! Not with the Argei Straw Doll!

On May 15th at the rites of Argei 6 Vestal Virgins walked a route to a bridge on the Tiber.

They would stop along the way at 27 shrines.

At each of the shrines they would pick up a straw man.

Once they got to the bridge they would cast these straw men into the river.

It is thought that these straw men replaced old men who were sacrificed to Saturn (who, among other things, was the God of Old Age and so naturally would want to have old people sacrificed to him).

"Shades of My Fathers, Depart!" Protecting yourselves from spirits in May

On May 9th, 11th and 13th in Ancient Rome our Ancestors' homes were awash with spirits.

It was such a plague that it was advised not to get married in May due to the inevitable bad luck it would bring.

If this still strikes you as something of a problem then below is a handy ritual you can do (you need to be the head of the house for this to work).

The Wyrd Kalendar have also printed these instructions on a poster for you to use in case of emergency (see above).

ARE YOU AN ANCIENT ROMAN?

Are you worried about the GATE between THIS WORLD and THE NEXT OPENING? Because YOU know that ON MAY 9th, 11th and 13th THIS SORT OF THING ALWAYS HAPPENS…

Follow these SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS on EACH NIGHT to STOP LEMURES (restless spirits) ENTERING YOUR HOME…

i. Arise at MIDNIGHT

ii. Wash Hands THREE times

iii. Walk through house SPITTING and TOSSING BLACK BEANS behind you for the GHOSTS to GATHER

iv. REPEAT the previous actions NINE times

v. Wash your HANDS again

vi. Strike a BRASS vessel

vii. Call out NINE times “SHADES OF MY FATHERS, DEPART.”

If that doesn't sort out those pesky spirits of your ancestors nothing will.