Noumenia: How to Celebrate the Hellenic New Moon
What is Noumenia?
Noumenia (‘new moon’) is an ancient Greek festival that was widely observed in ancient Athens.
It was celebrated with public ritual, but also within the home.
Usually, in honour of the household gods.
These gods included:
Apollon Agyieus
Hekate
Hermes
Hestia
Zeus Ktesios
Today, some people also choose to make offerings to their ancestors and the Agathos Daimon.
In ancient Greece, Noumenia marked the beginning of the new lunar month.
Try celebrating the ancient monthly festival of Noumenia as part of your Hellenic practice.
Let’s dive in!
When is Noumenia Celebrated?
In antiquity, Noumenia was celebrated when the first sliver of the new moon appeared in the sky.
For us modern types, that means celebrating either on the astronomical new moon, or using the same technique the ancient Greeks did.
If you want to be more historically accurate, Hellenion has an calendar of dates here.
How was Noumenia Celebrated?
The most sacred of days.
Plutarch
Noumenia was traditionally celebrated with offerings of frankincense and freshly baked cakes.
Flowers and greenery were also used to adorn the home and frankincense was burned in honour of the Moon goddess Selene.
John D. Mikalson states that there were twelve of Noumenia festivals throughout the year, but the evidence indicates that these were all celebrated in the same way.
How to Celebrate Noumenia
They say Klearchos discharges his religious duties and diligently sacrifices at the proper times, because each month on the Noumeniai he places garlands on and cleans Hermes, Hekate, and the rest of the sacred things which his ancestors bequeathed to him, and also because he honours (them) with frankincense, and with barley cakes and with round cakes.
Porphyry
Below, you’ll find some simple ways to celebrate Noumenia.
If you can’t celebrate Noumenia for whatever reason.
Don’t stress, it’s fine.
Sometimes modern life isn’t very conducive for reviving two thousand year old plus religious observances.
If you can only celebrate it a couple of times a year.
That’s certainly better than nothing!
Clean house
Cleaning your home or bedroom is a great way to mark the new lunar month.
(Nobody likes a dirty living space).
Open the windows.
Declutter and donate unwanted items.
Clean and tidy your space.
Clean and refresh your altars
Noumenia is the perfect time to clean and refresh your altars. This also sets you up nicely for the next cycle!
Clean everything and wipe down the altar’s surface.
Remove old offerings or flowers.
Remove any unwanted items.
Add new items or move things around.
Bake honey cakes
Barley cakes and round cakes were given to the gods as offerings during Noumenia.
I grew up baking fairy cakes and various other kid friendly stuff.
If you’re new to the world of baking.
Well, it’s going to be…
I highly recommend trying some recipes. The historical recipes probably won’t taste particularly great.
But.
The beauty is in the attempt.
Offer some to the gods, eat one yourself and upset your family with how bad they taste.
Here are some cake recipes you can try:
Buy fresh flowers
One of the Noumenia traditions was to bring fresh greenery into the home.
We can do the same by buying fresh flowers and placing them on our altars, or somewhere else in the home.
Added bonus?
They’re pretty.
Refresh the Kathiskos
What is a kathiskos I hear you ask?
A kathiskos is a special two-handled jar filled with water, olive oil and foods from the home pantry.
It was also decorated with white wool and yellow thread.
The kathiskos was dedicated to Zeus Ktesios to protect and grow the household prosperity.
It was newly created on Noumenia and the disposed of during deipnon (the dark moon).
I explain how to make one here.
Make Offerings to the Household Gods
Noumenia was celebrated in honour of the household gods:
Apollon Agyieus
Hekate
Hestia
Hermes
Zeus Ktesios
To observe Noumenia, simply make an offering and say a prayer to one of the household gods.
It goes without saying, but you don’t have honour all of these deities!
And if you don’t want to honour any of these deities…
That’s also fine.
Just give an offering to your closest deity instead.
Offerings
Frankincense incense
Cakes
Fruit
Wine
Make an Offering to Selene
To celebrate Noumenia you can burn frankincense and recite the Homeric or Orphic Hymn to Selene.
These hymns are considered offerings in themselves, especially when melodiously sung.
All you need to do is:
Wash your hands.
Stand with arms raised up towards the sky and read or sing the hymn out loud.
Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation.
Selene’s Homeric Hymn
And next, sweet voiced Muses, daughters of Zeus, well- skilled in song, tell of the long-winged Moon.
From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that arise from her shining light.
The air, unlit before, glows with the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, and donned her far-gleaming, shining team, drives on her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men.
Once the Son of Kronos was joined with her in love; and she conceived and bare a daughter Pandia, exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods.
Hail, white-armed goddess, bright Selene, mild, bright-tressed queen!
And now I will leave you and sing the glories of men half-divine, whose deeds minstrels, the servants of the Muses, celebrate with lovely lips.
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Sources
Labrys (n.d.) Noumenia Ceremony. Available at: https://www.labrys.gr/en/text_noumenia.html (Accessed: 17 December 2024).
Mikalson, D. John (1972) ‘The Noumenia and Epimenia in Athens’, Harvard Theological Review, Volume 65, Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1509125 (Accessed: 20 November 2024).