The festival of Opalia was typically observed on August tenth. The festival was held in honor of the goddess Opis, the fertility goddess. In paintings she was depicted as holding a scepter. Her name derives from the Latin word ops, which means plenty and abundance. Her name is also close to the word opus, which means ‘ploughing the earth’ in Latin. The image of a bountiful harvest from working the earth is tied to ancient Roman ideas about fertility. The fertility of the earth was a metaphor for human fertility. In addition to fertility, Opis was also a symbol of the Roman state’s wealth and prosperity.Horse races were held in honor of the goddess. Typically the end of the harvest was in August, hence this was the time to honor the goddess.

On August thirteenth, the ancient Romans celebrated Vertumnalia, named after Vertumnus. Vertumnus was the god of seasons, plants and trees. He was known to change form, especially into the form of an old woman (which is a cool superhero power to have!). Vertumnus‘s ability to change shape is a metaphor for the changing seasons. The name Vertumnus comes from the Latin verb to change, which is vertēre. Of course there’s more to the story of Vertumnus’s shape shifting. He does it to seduce a goddess, which isn’t all that surprising, considering that there are many instances of this in Roman mythology.

Around mid-August, the festival of Nemoralia was observed. This festival was held in honor of the goddess Diana. Diana was the goddness of hunting and the moon. The followers of Diana were known to light candles in the presence of the moon in her honor. The festival of Nemoralia was a day of rest for women and slaves. The women would write what they desired on ribbons and would leave offerings to the goddess Diana. The offerings had to be fruit. Animals as offerings were forbidden, because Diana was the guardian of woodland animals.