Rest Days; A Sociological Study 83 



moon. Not near so much regard is had to this, than there is to 

 either of the two former, and the Sintos Temples are very little 

 crowded on it. There is a greater concourse of people on this 

 day at the Budsos [Buddhist] Temples, it being one of the monthly 

 Holidays sacred to Amida."*^ 



In Oriental and classical antiquity lunar rites enjoyed a wide 

 dififusion. They formed a familiar feature of the Semitic religions, 

 nor were they unknown to the old Egyptians. The latter held a 

 new moon festival to celebrate the reappearance of that luminary 

 after its temporary obscuration. Herodotus is authority for the 

 statement that the Egyptians also sacrificed pigs to the full moon 

 though they abhorred the use of swine on all other festivals.^*' 

 Such ceremonies had doubtless come down from prehistoric times ; 

 and in the light of the numerous analogies elsewhere it is not 

 improbable that they may have been once accompanied by various 

 taboos. Among the Greeks the first of the month was a day of 

 repose, of prayers and offerings to the gods. At rationalistic 

 Athens it would seem as if the burden of the old prohibitions had 

 been gradually relaxed with growing culture ; though public affairs 

 were suspended on the new moon day (Noumenia), the markets 

 were open for business.*' Both new moon and full moon appear 

 to have been regular monthly festivals among the Greeks, the 

 former being sacred to Hera who had an ancient connection with 

 the moon. Similarly at Rome all the Calends were consecrated 

 to Juno.** 



*^ E. Kaempfer, History of Japan, ii. 21 sq. (Glasgow reprint, 1906). 

 Kaempfer, of course, is no very reliable authority on Shintoism, but in this 

 particular instance he may be presumed to have reported the facts with 

 accuracy. 



*° Herodotus, ii. 47. 



*' Porphyry, De ahstinentia, ii. 16; Roscher, in Philologus, 1898, p. 218; 

 Plutarch, Quaestiones Romanac, 25. 



^* Roscher, tjber Selene und Verzvandtcs, no sq.; A. Alommsen, Heorto- 

 logie, Leipzig, 1864, p. 2. The position of Hera as a goddess of marriage 

 and childbirth can only be explained by her ancient role as a moon-deity. 

 In Roman mythology Juno vi^as associated with the moon as Juno- 

 Lucina, it being held that she aided women during confinement (Plutarch, 

 Quaest. Rom., jj). In old Egyptian belief the moon was supposed to 



83 



