The cover was removed every year on August 24, October 5, and November 8, and these days were religious holidays, when the way was supposed to be open to the underworld. First-fruits of the season would be offered to the Manes (ancestral spirits) and placed in the pit.
Because the cover to the Mundus, the Lapis Manalis (Stone of the Manes), was considered an Ostium Orci (Gate of Hades), the Manes were freed to roam through the world of the living for the day, so marriage was not permitted on those three days, and the conduct of battles or business was not considered to be advisable.
In our political system election day periodically falls on November 8, so it might be instructive to ask which Presidents were elected on a day that (to the Romans, at least) the Gate of Hell is open. They were:
- Abraham Lincoln (first term)
- Grover Cleveland
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (first term)
- John F. Kennedy
- George Herbert Walker Bush
- In addition, there was one President who was born on October 5: Chester A. Arthur
It’s interesting that the list includes our two most beloved martyrs (Lincoln and Kennedy), but bad things happen if you conduct business while the Gate of Hell is open.
The first five of these Presidents were all somehow related to the Statue of Liberty:
- Lincoln's Civil War inspired the creators of the statue
- The cornerstone for the statue was laid during Arthur's term
- The statue was dedicated by Grover Cleveland
- The island was transferred to the War Department by Teddy Roosevelt
- Franklin Roosevelt presided over the 50th anniversary celebration for the statue
As we will soon see, these associations are overshadowed in importance by the symbolic meaning of the statue and its location on Liberty Island.
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