Today it is Dies Fastus – normal working day on which modern Romans may do their daily businesses – both civic and religious. It is OK to sign contracts, travel, start new projects, worship the Immortals, etc.
It is Kalendae Ianuariae – the day of the New Moon, it is traditionally dedicated to Goddess Iuno.
And it is the A nundial day, the 4 days before Nundinae – the market day this year.
On this day Romans worship: – Ianus, as the god of all beginnings; – Vediovis, the Deity concerning which there is no unanimous opinion among modern practitioners and scholars; – Aesculapius, the divine Healer, son of Apollo, that represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; – Strenua or Strenia(Her image you can see on the front side of this page) is a Goddess of the new year, purification, and well-being. On January 1, twigs from Strenua’s grove were carried in a procession to the citadel (arx). The rite is first noted as occurring on New Year’s Day in 153 BC, the year when consuls first began assuming their office at the beginning of the year. It is unclear whether it had always been held on that date or had been transferred that year from another place on the calendar, perhaps the original New Year’s Day on March 1. The name Strenia is said to be the origin of the word strenae (preserved in French étrennes and Italian strenne), the new-year gifts Romans exchange as good omens in an extension of the public rite.
