January marks the beginning of a new year, a time for fresh starts, setting intentions, and embracing the wisdom of the past to guide the future. In Hoodoo tradition, this month is rich with practices for protection, prosperity, and spiritual renewal. As winter settles in, it's a powerful time for working with candles, herbs, and ancestral guidance to set the tone for the months ahead. From historical events to folkloric traditions, these January Fun Facts highlight significant moments, observances, and timeless knowledge that continue to shape the world of conjure and rootwork.
Fun Facts
The origin of the name January is derived from the Roman god Janus, the god of doors, gates, and transitions. Janus was depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and the other to the future, symbolizing the transition from one year to the next. The month of January was named in his honor, marking the beginning of the new year.
The Coldest Month (in the Northern Hemisphere): January is typically the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, with many regions experiencing snowfall, ice storms, and frigid temperatures. In contrast, in the Southern Hemisphere, it is one of the warmest months, as it falls in the middle of summer.
A Month for Resolutions: The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates back to the ancient Babylonians, who made promises to their gods at the start of the new year. Today, millions of people set goals for self-improvement, such as eating healthier, exercising more, or breaking bad habits.
Birthstone: The garnet. In magickal practices, garnets are valued for their ability to dispel negative energy, protect during travel, and provide a sense of balance and harmony. Their fiery energy stimulates transformation and promotes resilience, empowering the wearer to overcome challenges.
Herbs for January: Benzoin, wintergreen, and lemon balm are key January herbs that support purification, protection, and renewal. Benzoin is used for spiritual cleansing and enhancing energy, wintergreen promotes healing and strength, and lemon balm brings peace, emotional balance, and clarity during the restful winter season.
January Fruits and Vegetables: January’s fruits and vegetables emphasize grounding, protection, and vitality, with citrus fruits bringing rejuvenation and abundance, while root vegetables like carrots and beets offer resilience and stability. Greens such as kale and collards nourish the body and spirit, supporting health, prosperity, and spiritual protection.
Flower of the Month: Carnations resonate with the heart chakra to promote emotional balance, compassion, and forgiveness. In magickal practices, carnations serve as offerings on altars, particularly in love and protection spells. They are also used for energy cleansing, helping to uplift and purify spaces. Additionally, carnations play a role in dream work, where their calming energy, especially in pink or white hues, can foster soothing dreams and emotional release. Red carnations in particular make for a good offering to St. Expedite.
Zodiac Signs: Capricorn and Aquarius
January marks the beginning of a new cycle, a month of fresh starts, resolutions, and self-determination. Dominated by the energies of Capricorn and Aquarius, this month encourages both hard work and innovative thinking. It’s a time to set intentions for the year ahead, embrace personal growth, and make bold strides toward achieving long-term goals.
Capricorn (Dec 22–Jan 19) continues to govern the early part of the month, bringing a focus on ambition, responsibility, and practical action. Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn encourages discipline, structure, and steady progress toward success. Lucky days for Capricorn in January are the 4th, 9th, and 16th. Its colors are deep brown, black, and gray, its stone is garnet, its flower is the pansy, and its incense is cedarwood. This is an ideal time to establish clear goals, organize your priorities, and create a solid foundation for future endeavors.
Aquarius (Jan 20–Feb 18) takes over at the end of the month, bringing a surge of creative energy, individuality, and forward-thinking. Ruled by Uranus, Aquarius fosters innovation, independence, and a desire for social change. Lucky days for Aquarius in January are the 23rd, 25th, and 28th. Its colors are electric blue, silver, and violet, its stone is amethyst, its flower is the orchid, and its incense is lavender. Use this time to embrace your uniqueness, think outside the box, and connect with like-minded individuals who share your vision for the future.
Astrological events in January include the New Moon in Capricorn on January 10, a powerful moment for setting long-term goals, creating plans, and committing to practical actions. The Full Moon in Leo on January 25 brings a wave of creative energy, ideal for expressing yourself, sharing your talents, and focusing on personal recognition. Additionally, January 1 marks the start of the year, a symbolic time for new beginnings and setting resolutions.
January blends Capricorn’s disciplined, goal-oriented energy with Aquarius’s innovative, visionary spirit, making it a month for both practical action and creative exploration. It’s a time to set the stage for success, reflect on your aspirations, and prepare to take bold steps into the year ahead.
January Folklore
- On New Year's Eve turn all the chairs around in the house so they will be looking the other way. It will bring you good luck for the new year.
- Always on the sixth of January, Three King's Day, put the letters C M B (the names of the Three Kings or Magi—Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar) over all outside doors before sunup, so witches cannot get in. If you have livestock, put the same letters over the stable door, so no one can bewitch the cattle.
- Weather prophets prophesy twelve months ahead by observing the first change of the moon in January: if it occurs during the day, a wet year; if during the night, a dry year.
- A January thunder; a June frost.
- A January thunder; a June flood.
- A rain on January 1 forecasts seven rainy New Year's Days in succession.
- If there is no wind on New Year's Day, expect a very dry summer.
- Many hill folk hoodoos believe that the first twelve days of January rule the weather for the entire year. That is, if January 1 is cloudy1 the whole month of January will be cloudy; if January 2 is clear, then February will be clear; and so on.
- Mistletoe, holly and every bit of green stuff must be removed from the home before midnight on January 5, or some unspeakable calamity will overtake the whole family.
- According to a granny woman from Arkansas, the old folks in her neighborhood sometimes call January 6 “Green Christmas” or the “Twelfth Night.” It it on January 5, the eve of old Christmas, that the cattle are supposed to kneel down and bellow exactly at midnight, in honor of the birth of Jesus. Some say that the critters have the gift if speech on this night, so that they may pray aloud in English.
- Some folks in Arkansas say that the water in certain wells turns into wine at midnight on January 5.
- It is particularly auspicious to eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day. One granny woman said, “On New Years, you just eat black-eyed peas, with a dime under your plate, and wear a pair of red garters and you’ll have good luck the whole year.”