Sanctoral: Bl. Pauline-Marie Jaricot, France +1862
Human: Feast of Agonalia in honor of the Roman god Janus- Ancient Rome.
Natural: Cold snap in Rome today; snowstorm in Michigan
Quote: "It's no use going back to yesterday because I was a very different person then." -Alice in Wonderland
Word: Ianus- Latin for gate or arched passageway
Some more things I learned today:
Today's Carpe Diem Snapshot: As my Art and Architecture of Rome students are well aware, I like to tell everyone about the Roman god Janus, and always try to begin and end the semester at the Piazza Garibaldi (the terrace of Rome) on the Janiculum hill (Gianicolo in Italian). Today was Janus' annual feast day in ancient Rome, when a sacrifice of a ram was made to invoke his favor upon the city. You can read and hear all about him in the above links. I first learned about Janus when I moved to the hill named after him in Rome. It is across the Tiber from the famed seven hills of Rome, and was the gateway into the city from the road that led to Etruria. Interestingly, Janus is the only god within the Roman pantheon that does not have a Greek equivalent. There are, however, two similar gods in the Etruscan pantheon- Ani (of beginnings) and Aita (of endings). From the Piazza Garibaldi, you can view the beginning of the day with the sun rising in the east, as I frequently do, and then view its ending on the opposite side of the piazza. The effect of the dusky rose-gold light of the setting sun upon the panoramic vista of Rome is a magical site to behold.
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