Floralia
floralia festival ancient roman religion honor goddess flora held april republican era april julian calendar festival included ludi flora game flora lasted six day empire festival licentious pleasureseeking atmosphere contrast many festival patrician character game flora plebeian nature flora one ancient goddess roman religion one fifteen deity statesupported high priest flamen florialis goddess flower vegetation fertility received sacrifice piacula sacred grove arval brother archaic priesthood altar rome said established sabine king titus tatius semilegendary regal period flusalis linguistically equivalent floralia month sabine calendar varro counted flora among sabine deity temple flora built rome upon consultation sibylline book shortly drought occurred around – bce temple located near circus maximus lower slope aventine hill site associated plebeian rome game instituted founding day temple april held occasionally continued crop damage led annual celebration beginning flora rustica rural flora another temple quirinal hill temple flora rustica may location altar erected tatius game ludi flora presented plebeian aediles paid fine collected public land ager publicus encroached upon cicero mention role organizing game flora aedile bc festival opened theatrical performance ludi scaenici concluded competitive event spectacle circus sacrifice flora ad entertainment floralia presented emperor galba featured tightropewalking elephant prostitute participated floralia well wine festival vinalia april according satirist juvenal prostitute danced naked fought mock gladiator combat many prostitute ancient rome slave even free woman worked prostitute lost legal social standing citizen inclusion religious festival indicates completely cast society ovid say hare goats—animals considered fertile salacious—were ceremonially released part festivity persius say crowd pelted vetch bean lupin also symbol fertility contrast cerealia white garment worn multicolored clothing customary may nocturnal observance since source mention measure taken light way theatrical performance rite called florifertum described one source involving bearing fert wheat ear spica shrine sacrarium unclear whether offering made flora cere whether made flora occurred april may ovid describes florifertum honor juno lucina march date also celebrated dy natalis birthday mar whose conception flora played role maiuma festival romanera religious water festival held may may queen roman festival rosalia festival rose celebrated throughout roman empire encyclopædia romana floralia