The Temple of Hephaistos,

in the Agora, Athens,

Melissa Gold 2006

The Hellenion Calendar
H

This calendar is the working calendar of Hellenion, a diverse group of Hellenic polytheists sharing the common goal of living a life of piety and proper
respect for the Gods of Olympos and ancient Hellenic tradition.

The calendar is based on the monthly and annual observances and festivals of the ancient Athenians from about 800 BCE to 323 BCE. This version was
created using information derived from www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa and from http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonPhase.html as well as
sources Greek Religion by Walter Burkert (Harvard University Press, 1977, English translation: Basil Blackwell Publisher and Harvard University Press,
1985), Old Stones, New Temples; ancient Greek paganism reborn, by Drew Campbell (Xlibris Corporation, 2000) and Festivals of the Athenians, by H.
W. Parke (London, Thames and Hudson, 1977).

This calendar is a work in progress, and as research and reconstruction proceeds, the calendars of future years will reflect this. One of our associated
projects is the creation of an on-line version of this calendar, which will eventually be available at the Hellenion web site: http://www.hellenion.org .
That version will contain links to descriptions of all the special days noted on this calendar and suggestions about how to observe them in the 21
st

century.

You are under no obligation to observe all the occasions and days mentioned here; in fact, that would be all but impossible at present, since none of us
live in a wholly polytheistic city. Every observance is optional. This calendar is made available to you as a learning tool, and as a framework to begin or
extend your practice of ancient Hellenic religious tradition. Needless to say, ancient Hellenic religion involved many more practices than are implied by
the calendar.

The calendar outlines ancient monthly practices, such as Hekates Deipnon (on the darkest night, honoring Hekate, the Bringer of Light, by a donation
of food at a crossroads or to a charity), Noumenia (new moon, beginning of the new Athenian month) and the Agathos Daimon (honoring ones own
personal spirit, a destiny, a characteristic, a blessing, inherently neither good nor bad). It also lists ancient Athenian festivals, on the exact dates where
these are known. Where the exact date has not been revealed by research, a question mark follows the name of the festival. Information about the
specific observance can be found at Michael Lahanas web site: Ancient Greek Festivals http://www.mlahanas.de/Greek/Festivals.htm as well as in
the references mentioned above. Note that the date of the new moon is determined by when the crescent is visible in Athens; check local sources for the
exact time and day in your locality if you wish to be precise.

In addition to ancient festivals and observances, certain modern occasions are listed as well. This includes the Hellenion monthly libation (ensuring that
at least one day a month is shared by a community, albeit scattered, at the same time, and also ensuring that each of the twelve Olympians is honored at
least once during the year). Note that this libation is not an official practice of Hellenion but a voluntary activity endorsed by many Hellenion members.
Some modern festivals are also listed, such as Helliogenna, held over several days during the shortest days of December, and Promethia, held in Greece
on the summer solstice near Mt. Olympos. Information about these festivals will be available at the on-line calendar.

Remember that, among the ancient Greeks, the day begins at sundown of the previous day. Days in gray indicate days observed by Hellenion
members, including new moon/beginning of Greek month and Hellenion monthly libation.

Transliteration of Greek month names and festivals below used y to represent the short u of Greek, kh is used to represent chi (), a sound which
does not exist in English, and e represents both epsilon () and eta (). !

The cover illustration is Temple of Hephaistos in the Agora, Athens (also known as the Theseion) by Melissa Gold, copyright 2006.
January 2007
Poseideon B - Gamelion
-
Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 11 Poseideon B
New Year's Day
2 12 Poseideon B

3 13 Poseideon B

4 14 Poseideon B 5 15 Poseideon B


6 16 Poseideon B
Zeus Horios

7 17 Poseideon B 8 18 Poseideon B 9 19 Poseideon B 10 20 Poseideon B 11 21 Poseideon B

12 22 Poseideon B

13 23 Poseideon B
Libation to
Hera

14 24 Poseideon B

15 25 Poseideon
Martin Luther King
Day (US)
16 26 Poseideon B
Haloa
17 27 Poseideon B

18 28 Poseideon B 19 29 Poseideon B
Hekate's Deipnon
20 1 Gamelion
Noumenia
21 2 Gamelion
Agathos Daimon
22 3 Gamelion 23 4 Gamelion 24 5 Gamelion 25 6 Gamelion

26 7 Gamelion


27 8 Gamelion
28 9 Gamelion


29 10 Gamelion


30 11 Gamelion

31 12 Gamelion
Lenaia





= full
moon


February 2007
Gamelion - Anthesterion
-
Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday







1 13 Gamelion
Lenaia
2 14 Gamelion
Lenaia

3 15 Gamelion
Lenaia
4 16 Gamelion 5 17 Gamelion 6 18 Gamelion

7 19 Gamelion 8 20 Gamelion

9 21 Gamelion

10 22 Gamelion
Libation to
Aphrodite
11 23 Gamelion

12 24 Gamelion
Lincolns Birthday (US)

13 25 Gamelion

14 26 Gamelion

15 27 Gamelion
Theogamia
16 28 Gamelion

17 29 Gamelion


18 30 Gamelion
Hekate's Deipnon
19 1 Anthesterion
Noumenia
Presidents Day (US)
20 2 Anthesterion
Agathos Daimon
21 3Anthesterion

22 4 Anthesterion
Washingtons Birthday
(US)

23 5 Anthesterion


24 6 Anthesterion

25 7 Anthesterion


26 8 Anthesterion 27 9 Anthesterion 28 10 Anthesterion



= full
moon


March 2007
Anthesterion - Elaphebolion

Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday


= full
moon








1 11 Anthesterion
Anthesteria
2 12 Anthesterion
Anthesteria

3 13 Anthesterion
Anthesteria

4 14 Anthesterion

5 15 Anthesterion

6 16 Anthesterion 7 17 Anthesterion

8 18 Anthesterion

9 19 Anthesterion

10 20 Anthesterion
Libation to
Hephaistos
Lesser Mysteries
11 21 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries
Daylight Savings Time
starts
12 22 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries
13 23 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries and
Diasia

14 24 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries

15 25 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries
16 26 Anthesterion
Lesser Mysteries
17 27 Anthesterion


18 28 Anthesterion 19 29 Anthesterion
Hekate's Deipnon
20 1 Elaphebolion
Noumenia
21 2 Elaphebolion
Agathos Daimon
Equinox
22 3 Elaphebolion


23 4 Elaphebolion


24 5 Elaphebolion

25 6 Elaphebolion
Greek Independence
Day
26 7 Elaphebolion 27 8 Elaphebolion
Asklepiaia
28 9 Elaphebolion 29 10 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika
30 11 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika
31 12 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika


April 2007
Elaphebolion - Mounykhion

Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 13 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika

2 14 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika

3 15 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika

4 16 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika
5 17 Elaphebolion
Dionysia ta astika
and Pandia
6 18 Elaphebolion


7 19 Elaphebolion

8 20 Elaphebolion

9 21 Elaphebolion

10 22 Elaphebolion 11 23 Elaphebolion

12 24 Elaphebolion

13 25 Elaphebolion

14 26 Elaphebolion
Libation to
Artemis
15 27 Elaphebolion

16 28 Elaphebolion

17 29 Elaphebolion


18 30 Elaphebolion
Hekate's Deipnon

19 1 Mounykhion
Noumenia
20 2 Mounykhion
Agathos Daimon

21 3 Mounykhion


22 4 Mounykhion
Earth Day



29 11 Mounykhion
23 5 Mounykhion



30 12 Mounykhion
24 6 Mounykhion
Delphinia
25 7 Mounykhion


26 8 Mounykhion

= full moon
27 9 Mounykhion


28 10 Mounykhion

May 2007
Mounykhion - Thargelion
-
Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday





1 13 Mounykhion

2 14 Mounykhion

3 15 Mounykhion

4 16 Mounykhion
Mounykhia

5 17 Mounykhion

6 18 Mounykhion 7 19 Mounykhion
Olympeia
8 20 Mounykhion

9 21 Mounykhion

10 22 Mounykhion

11 23 Mounykhion

12 24 Mounykhion
Libation to
Apollon
13 25 Mounykhion
Mother's Day
14 26 Mounykhion

15 27 Mounykhion


16 28 Mounykhion

17 29 Mounykhion
Hekate's Deipnon
18 1 Thargelion
Noumenia
19 2 Thargelion
Agathos Daimon
20 3 Thargelion 21 4 Thargelion
Victoria Day (Canada)
22 5 Thargelion

23 6Thargelion
Thargelia
24 7Thargelion
Thargelia

25 8 Thargelion


26 9 Thargelion

27 10 Thargelion

28 11 Thargelion
Memorial Day (US)
29 12 Thargelion

30 13 Thargelion 31 14 Thargelion



= full moon

June 2007
Thargelion - Skirophorion
-
Year 2 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
= full moon











1 15 Thargelion

2 16 Thargelion
Zeus Epakrios
3 17 Thargelion 4 18 Thargelion 5 19 Thargelion
Bendideia
6 20 Thargelion

7 21 Thargelion

8 22 Thargelion

9 23 Thargelion
Libation to
Zeus
10 24 Thargelion

11 25 Thargelion
Kallynteria
12 26 Thargelion
Plynteria

13 27 Thargelion

14 28 Thargelion 15 29 Thargelion
Hekate's Deipnon
16 1 Skirophorion
Noumenia
17 2 Skirophorion
Agathos Daimon
Fathers' Day
18 3 Skirophorion
Arrephoria
19 4 Skirophorion

20 5 Skirophorion

21 6Skirophorion
Solstice
Promethia (Greeece)

22 7 Skirophorion


23 8 Skirophorion

24 9 Skirophorion

25 10 Skirophorion

26 11 Skirophorion

27 12 Skirophorion
Skira
28 13 Skirophorion

29 14 Skirophorion
Bouphomia and Dipolieia

30 15 Skirophorion

July 2007
Skirophorion - Hekatombaion
-
Year 2-3 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 16 Skirophorion
Canada Day

2 17 Skirophorion


3 18 Skirophorion

4 19 Skirophorion
US Independence Day
5 20 Skirophorion

6 21 Skirophorion


7 22 Skirophorion

8 23 Skirophorion 9 24 Skirophorion 10 25 Skirophorion 11 26 Skirophorion

12 27 Skirophorion

13 28 Skirophorion

14 29 Skirophorion
Libation to
Athena
15 30 Skirophorion
Hekate's Deipnon
16 1 Hekatombaion
Noumenia
Athenian New Year

17 2 Hekatombaion
Agathos Daimon

18 3 Hekatombaion

19 4 Hekatombaion 20 5 Hekatombaion 21 6 Hekatombaion
22 7 Hekatombaion

23 8 Hekatombaion

24 9 Hekatombaion

25 10 Hekatombaion

26 11 Hekatombaion


27 12 Hekatombaion
Kronia
28 13 Hekatombaion


29 14 Hekatombaion

30 15 Hekatombaion

31 16 Hekatombaion
Synoikia








= full moon



August 2007
Hekatombaion - Metageitnion
-
Year 3 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

= full moon




1 17 Hekatombaion

2 18 Hekatombaion

3 19 Hekatombaion

4 20 Hekatombaion

5 21 Hekatombaion 6 22 Hekatombaion
Civic Holiday (Canada)
7 23 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
8 24 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
9 25 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
10 26 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
11 27 Hekatombaion
Libation to
Hermes
Panathenaia ta megala
12 28 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
13 29 Hekatombaion
Panathenaia ta megala
Hekates Deipnon
14 1 Metageitnion
Noumenia

15 2 Metageitnion
Agathos Daimon
Herakleia?
16 3 Metageitnion 17 4 Metageitnion 18 5 Metageitnion
19 6 Metageitnion

20 7 Metageitnion

21 8 Metageitnion

22 9 Metageitnion

23 10 Metageitnion


24 11 Metageitnion

25 12 Metageitnion


26 13 Metageitnion

27 14 Metageitnion 28 15 Metageitnion


29 16 Metageitnion
Kourotrophos,
Hekate and Artemis

30 17 Metageitnion


31 18 Metageitnion




September 2007
Metageitnion Boedromion

Year 3 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

= full moon








1 19 Metageitnion
The Heroines
2 20 Metageitnion
Hera Thelkhina
3 21 Metageitnion
Labor Day (US)
Labour Day (Canada)
4 22 Metageitnion

5 23 Metageitnion

6 24Metageitnion

7 25 Metageitnion
Zeus Epoptes
8 26 Metageitnion
Libation to
Demeter &
Persephone
9 27 Metageitnion

10 28 Metageitnion

11 29 Metageitnion


12 30 Metageitnion
Hekate's Deipnon
13 1 Boedromion
Noumenia
14 2 Boedromion
Agathos Daimon
Niketeria
15 3 Boedromion

16 4 Boedromion 17 5 Boedromion
Genesios
18 6 Boedromion
Artemis Agrotera
19 7 Boedromion

20 8 Boedromion


21 9 Boedromion


22 10 Boedromion

23 11 Boedromion
Equinox

30 18 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
24 12 Boedromion
Demokratia
25 13 Boedromion

26 14 Boedromion


27 15 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
28 16 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala

29 17 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
and Epidauria?

October 2007
Boedromion - Pyanepsion

Year 3 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday


1 19 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
2 20 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
3 21 Boedromion
Eleusinia ta megala
4 22 Boedromion

5 23 Boedromion


6 24 Boedromion


7 25 Boedromion 8 26 Boedromion
Thanksgiving (Canada)
9 27 Boedromion
Sacrifices to the
Nymphs, Akhelous,
Alokhus, Hermes, Gaia
and Athena
10 28 Boedromion

11 29 Boedromion

12 30 Boedromion
Hekate's Deipnon
13 1 Pyanepsion
Libation to
Poseidon
Noumenia
14 2 Pyanepsion
Agathos Daimon
15 3 Pyanepsion

16 4 Pyanepsion


17 5 Pyanepsion

18 6 Pyanepsion
Proerosia
19 7 Pyanepsion
Pyanepsia
20 8 Pyanepsion
Theseia
21 9 Pyanepsion
Stenia
22 10 Pyanepsion


23 11 Pyanepsion
Thesmophoria
24 12 Pyanepsion
Thesmophoria
25 13 Pyanepsion
Thesmophoria

26 14 Pyanepsion
The Heroines

27 15 Pyanepsion

28 16 Pyanepsion
Ochi Day (Greece)
29 17 Pyanepsion


30 18 Pyanepsion


31 19 Pyanepsion








= full moon




November 2007
Pyanepsion - Maimakterion
-
Year 3 of the 696
th
Olympiad

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday


= full moon








1 20 Pyanepsion

2 21 Pyanepsion


3 22 Pyanepsion

4 23 Pyanepsion
Daylight Savings Time
ends

5 24 Pyanepsion

6 25 Pyanepsion

7 26 Pyanepsion

8 27 Pyanepsion

9 28 Pyanepsion


10 29 Pyanepsion
Libation to
Ares
Khalkeia
Hekate's Deipnon
11 1 Maimakterion
Noumenia
Remembrance (Canada)
Veterans Day (US)
12 2 Maimakterion
Agathos Daimon
Veterans Day observed
13 3 Maimakterion

14 4Maimakterion

15 5 Maimakterion

16 6 Maimakterion 17 7 Maimakterion
18 8 Maimakterion

19 9 Maimakterion

20 10 Maimakterion
Pompaia?
21 11 Maimakterion

22 12 Maimakterion
Thanksgiving (USA)
23 13 Maimakterion

24 14 Maimakterion

25 15 Maimakterion

26 16 Maimakterion


27 17 Maimakterion


28 18 Maimakterion

29 19 Maimakterion


30 20 Maimakterion




December 2007
Maimakterion - Poseideon
-
Year 3 of the 696
th
Olympiad


Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

= full
moon








1 21 Maimakterion

2 22 Maimakterion 3 23 Maimakterion 4 24 Maimakterion

5 25 Maimakterion

6 26 Maimakterion

7 27 Maimakterion
Pearl Harbor Day

8 28 Maimakterion
Libation to
Dionysos
9 29 Maimakterion

10 30 Maimakterion
Hekate's Deipnon
11 1 Poseideon
Noumenia
12 2 Poseideon
Agathos Daimon
13 3 Poseideon

14 4 Poseideon

15 5 Poseideon
Plerosia
16 6 Poseideon 17 7 Poseideon

18 8 Poseideon
Heliogenna

19 9 Poseideon
Heliogenna

20 10 Poseideon
Heliogenna
Lesser Dionysia?
21 11 Poseideon
Heliogenna


22 12 Poseideon
Heliogenna
Solstice
23 13 Poseideon
Heliogenna

30 20 Poseideon
Herakleia
24 14 Poseideon
Heliogenna

31 21 Poseideon
New Year's Eve
25 15 Poseideon
Heliogenna

26 16 Poseideon
Heliogenna
Zeus Horios

27 17 Poseideon

28 18 Poseideon


29 19 Poseideon