October (Roman month)

Some of the observances in October marked the close of the season for military campaigning and farming, which commenced in March (Martius, "Mars' month").

On the calendar of the Roman Republic and early Principate, each day was marked with a letter to denote its religiously lawful status.

A dies natalis was an anniversary such as a temple founding or rededication, sometimes thought of as the "birthday" of a deity.

During the Imperial period, some of the traditional festivals localized at Rome became less important, and the birthdays and anniversaries of the emperor and his family gained prominence as Roman holidays.

Scullard, Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic (Cornell University Press, 1981), pp.