Pagan Festival Shout Out: Mercuralia “Festival To Mercury”

Blessed days embrace us during these Ides Of May! May 15th is the Mercuralia! It is known as the festival to Mercury, probably one of the sexiest deities from our ancient heritage of worship. Basically the holiday is more a celebration that merchants honor for blessed commerce. the merchants of Rome would use laurel boughs to sprinkle their merchandise, their ships, and their heads with water from a fountain at Porta Capena known as aqua Mercurii.

Mercury, was a Roman messenger god whose attributes were mainly borrowed from the Greek god Hermes although there are myths regarding Mercury that are distinctly Roman. He was a god of trade, thieves, and travel. The name is closely related to merx, mercari, and merces which respectively mean merchandise, to trade, and wages. For good luck, on the Ides of May (May 15th) which was considered his birthday,

They also offered prayers to Mercury for forgiveness of past and future perjuries, for profit, and the continued ability to cheat customers! So really this is a day that thieving merchants would haggle customers with inflated prices in order to get the most coins from badgered buyers. It would translate today as a “shopping holiday”. Tomorrow go out and by a little something-something on the cheap to get the best deal from the shady ass shop keepers-look for the sales! Also the day draws from the well of luck, and blessings, not to mention honoring Mercury. Place some coins on your alter, light your candles for luck and dab a bit of blessed water in the sign of protection. I plan to place the blessed water on the 5 points of my body- head, hands, feet while asking Mercury for blessings on this, his birthday!