![](https://setjataset.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/delphi-83472_1280.jpg)
The best time to honour Hekate is on the Deipnon and Noumenia. Therefore, every year I create an Athenian Calendar to calculate the Deipnon and Noumenia using the Southern Hemisphere New Moons, to ensure my devotions are on the right evenings for my location. This is calculated by the start off point of the Summer Solstice in Greece of that particular year.
The Athenian Calendar also known as the Attic Calendar was a lunisolar calendar used during the classical period of Ancient Greece during the 4th and 5th Centuries BC. It was exclusively used in Athens at the time and each month starts at the first sighting of the new moon, with the year beginning just after mid-summer. It’s become a modern go to for practicing Hellenics and as such, what we use and have today is a reconstruction of what they used around 300-500 BC. I have superimposed this Athenian Calendar over our modern Gregorian one, to loosely create a festival calendar of 12 months based on the cycle of the moon which starts at the beginning of the Athenian year – on the summer solstice in Athens. The names of the months reflect the gods and festivals honoured at that time and have agricultural links to the planting or harvesting of food in the northern hemisphere.
Here is what the yearly Athenian Calendar basically looks like:
Summer (Θέρος)
1 Hekatombaion (Ἑκατομβαιών) July/August
2 Metageitnion (Μεταγειτνιών) August/September (named after Apollo)
3 Boedromion (Βοηδρομιών) September/October
Autumn (Φθινόπωρον)
4 Pyanepsion (Πυανεψιών) October/November
5 Maimakterion (Μαιμακτηριών) November/December (named after Zeus)
6 Poseideon (Ποσειδεών) December/January
Winter (Χεῖμα)
7 Gamelion (Γαμηλιών) January/February
8 Anthesterion (Ἀνθεστηριών) February/March (named after the festival of Anthesteria)
9 Elaphebolion (Ἑλαφηβολιών) March/April
Spring (Ἔαρ)
10 Mounichion (Μουνιχιών) April/May
11 Thargelion (Θαργηλιών) May/June
12 Skirophorion (Σκιροφοριών) June/July
![](https://setjataset.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/greece-1594689_1920.jpg)
Every month lasts for approximately 29-30 days in total. Each month is broken up into 10 days of three which reflect the moon phases in the following order: Waxing, Full and Waning Moons.
Days 1 to 8 were all sacred to gods or spirit entities and the last day of the month, known as “hene kai nea” translated as “the old and the new”, is dedicate to Hekate as it’s her Deipnon along with the first day of the month, Noumenia which is also dedicated to Hekate.
Here are the details of those 8 sacred days in the Athenian Calendar month:
Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon)
Day 2: Agathos Daimon
Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
Day 29-30: Deipnon
![](https://setjataset.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/greece-484041_1920.jpg)
To help you with adapting the Athenian Calendar to the Gregorian one, here is the Athenian Calendar I created for 2022/2023, calculated for Southern Hemisphere practitioners:
21 June 2021 (5.57pm), = Summer Solstice in Greece
(Winter Solstice in Australia 22nd June 12.57am AEST)
Summer (Θέρος)
1 Hekatombaion (Ἑκατομβαιών)
18th July – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 4.31am AEST
19th July – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
20th July – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
21st July – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
23rd July – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
24th July – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
25th July – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
14th August – 15th August – Day 29-30: Deipnon
2 Metageitnion (Μεταγειτνιών) (named after Apollo)
16th August – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 7.38pm AEST
17th August – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
18th August – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
19th August – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
21st August – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
22nd August – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
23rd August – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
13th – 14th September – Day 29-30: Deipnon
3 Boedromion (Βοηδρομιών)
15th September – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 11.39am AEST
16th September – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
17th September – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
18th September – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
20th September – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
21st September – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
22nd September – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
13th – 14th October – Day 29-30: Deipnon
Autumn (Φθινόπωρον)
4 Pyanepsion (Πυανεψιών)
15th October – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 4.55am AEST
16th October – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
17th October – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
18th October – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
20th October – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
21st October – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
22nd October – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
11th – 12th November – Day 29-30: Deipnon
5 Maimakterion (Μαιμακτηριών) (named after Zeus)
13th November – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 8.27pm AEST
14th November – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
15th November – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
15th November – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
17th November – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
18th November – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
19th November – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
11th – 12th December – Day 29-30: Deipnon
6 Poseideon (Ποσειδεών)
13th December – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 10.32am AEST
14th December – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
15th December – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
16th December – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
18th December – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
19th December – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
20th December – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
20th – 21st January – Day 29-30: Deipnon
Winter (Χεῖμα)
7 Gamelion (Γαμηλιών)
22nd January – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 7.53am AEST
23rd January – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
24th January- Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
25th January – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Eros
27th January – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
28th January – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
29th January – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
19th – 20th February – Day 29-30: Deipnon
8 Anthesterion (Ἀνθεστηριών) (named after the festival of Anthesteria)
20th February – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 6.05pm AEST
21st February – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
22nd February – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
23rd February – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Erosc
25th February – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
26th February– Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
27th February – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
20th – 21st February – Day 29-30: Deipnon
9 Elaphebolion (Ἑλαφηβολιών)
22nd March – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 4.23am AEST
23rd March – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
24th March – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
25th March – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Erosc
27th March – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
28th March – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
29th March – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
18th – 19th April – Day 29-30: Deipnon
Spring (Ἔαρ)
10 Mounichion (Μουνιχιών)
20th April – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 2.12pm AEST
21st April- Day 2: Agathos Daimon
22nd April – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
23rd April – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Erosc
25th April – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
26th April – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
27th April – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
18th – 19th May – Day 29-30: Deipnon
11 Thargelion (Θαργηλιών)
20th May – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 1.53am AEST
21st May – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
22nd May – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
23rd May – Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Erosc
25th May – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
26th May – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
27th May – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
16th – 17th June – Day 29-30: Deipnon
12 Skirophorion (Σκιροφοριών)
18th June – Day 1: Noumenia (New Moon) 2.37pm AEST
19th June – Day 2: Agathos Daimon
20th June – Day 3: Athena’s Birthday
21st June– Day 4: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite and Erosc
23rd June – Day 6: Artemis’ Birthday
24th June – Day 7: Apollo’s Birthday
25th June – Day 8: Poseidon and Theseus (Mikalson 1975: 24)
16th – 17th July – Day 29-30: Deipnon
(C) T. Georgitsis 2023