The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World - Judika Illes 2005

The Festival of Mania
Calendar of Revelry and Sacred Days

The Roman Festival of Mania was held on August 24th. The modern term for “ancestor worship” is manism. The name derives from the manes, Rome’s deified ancestral spirits. The goddess Mania presides over this host of spirits. On this day, Rome’s “ghost stone,” the cover that shielded the entrance to Hades, was lifted so that the ghosts had easy access. In addition to the ancestral spirits, the day honors Mania and Ceres, the Corn Mother. (For further information, please see DIVINE WITCH: Mania.)