Calendar of the Moon
16 Nion/Anthesteria
Day of Anna Perenna
Color: Silver
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a silver cloth set four grey candles, a piece of antique cloth or clothing, a silver
chalice of almond milk, and a pair of scissors. Let a brazier of flame be set in the center of the
room, symbolizing the sun around which the year turns.
Offerings: Silver coins. Care for someone aged.
Daily Meal: Soup.
Invocation to Anna Perenna
Hail, Old Woman of the turning year!
You who rule the cycle of sun and moon,
Of winter and summer, of warm and cold,
You who are ever the center of changes
Although you remain unchanged,
You who have seen every turning cycle
Since the beginning of time,
Be with us as we forge ahead
Through the calendar of our own lives.
Like the flower that comes back every year,
Like the trees that will outlive us,
Be there ahead of us that we may see
The path of life as one of purpose
And not merely meaningless sorrow.
You whose hair is silvered
Bring us gracefully into our elder days
And grant us long life and good health.
Let us truly call each other
Fortunata, Fortunatus,
For we have been blessed by You.
(The scissors are passed around, and each one clips a tiny bit of hair from their heads, tossing it
into the brazier as an offering to Anna Perenna. Each turns to the next one in line and says,
"Hail, Fortunata (or Fortunatus)! May you always have long life and good health." Then all
join hands and circle four times around the brazier.)
Chant:
Turn the Year
Turn the Spiral
Turn the Wheel
[Pagan Book of Hours]