Roman festivals
festival ancient rome important part roman religious life republican imperial era one primary feat holy day singular also feria dy ferialis either public publicae private privatae state holiday celebrated roman people received public funding game ludi ludi apollinares technically feria day celebrated dy festi holiday modern sense day work although feria paid state ludi often funded wealthy individual feria privatae holiday celebrated honor private individual family article deal public holiday including rite celebrated state priest rome temple well celebration neighborhood family friend held simultaneously throughout rome feria publicae three kind stativae annual holiday held fixed stable date calendar conceptivae annual holiday moveable feast like easter christian calendar thanksgiving north america date announced magistrate priest responsible imperativae holiday held demand verb impero imperare order command special celebration expiation called one important source roman holiday ovid fasti incomplete poem describes provides origin festival january june time augustus varro defined feria day instituted sake god religious rite performed feria public business suspended even slave supposed given form rest cicero say specifically people free engage lawsuit quarrel slave get break labour agricultural writer recognized job farm might still need performed specified agricultural task otherwise permitted could carried expiation made advance piaculum usually sacrifice puppy within city rome flamen priest known rex sacrorum allowed even see work done practical level inadvertently worked could pay fine offer piaculum usually pig work considered vital either god preserving human life excusable according expert religious law although roman required work required take religious action unless priest family rite sacrum gentilicia maintain following monthbymonth list roman festival game fixed place calendar date first established recorded deity festival often marked anniversary dy natalis birthday founding temple rededication major renovation festival named deity thought among oldest calendar religious observance monthly first day month kalends calends english word calendar derives kalends sacred juno regina sacrorum queen rite public priestess marked day presiding sacrifice goddess originally pontiff rex sacrorum reported sighting new moon pontiff announced whether none occurred th th month none announcement made regarding event take place month exception poplifugia major festival held none though ceremony anniversary temple dedication might carried ides usually th month th sacred jupiter ides white lamb led along via sacrum capitolium sacrifice jupiter list also includes notable public religious event sacrifice procession observed annually neither feria dy natales unless otherwise noted calendar hh scullard festival ceremony roman republic calends bc onward consul entered office date accompanied vota publica public vow wellbeing republic later emperor taking auspex festival also held imported cult aesculapius obscure god vediovis common date compitalia movable feast feria conceptivae none dy natalis founding day shrine vica pota velian hill agonalia honor janus month january named first least four festival named agonalia throughout year carmentalia juturna celebrated also th ides – common date sementivae feria conceptivae sowing perhaps also known paganalia celebrated pagi dy natalis temple castor pollux perhaps marking rededication see also july ludi castores game castor celebrated ostia imperial period archaic roman calendar february last month year name derives februa mean purification expiatory offering marked turn season february official first day spring bringing renewal agricultural activity winter kalends dy natalis temple juno sospita mother queen sacrum grove alernus near tiber foot palatine hill dy natalis temple concordia capitoline hill ides minor festival faunus tiber island – parentalia commemoration ancestor dead among family parentatio appeasement mane beginning th hour ceremony performed chief vestal temple closed fire burned altar marriage forbidden magistrate took insignia st lupercalia last day feria conceptivae fornacalia oven festival quirinalia honour quirinus feralia public observation parentalia marked f dy festus calendar fp designation uncertain meaning others dark rite aimed god di inferi caristia cara cognatio dear kindred potluck meal provided family shared spirit love forgiveness terminalia honour terminus regifugium equirria first two horseracing festival mar old roman calendar perhaps late bc mensis martius mar month first month year one month named god mar whose festival dominate month kalends original new year day sacred fire rome renewed dancing armed priesthood salii celebrated feria marti holiday mar also dy natalis birthday mar also matronalia honor juno lucina mar mother second festival vediovis dy religiosus salii carried sacred shield ancilia around city second equirria feria marti also called mamuralia sacrum mamurio ides feria iovi sacred jove also feast year goddess anna perenna – procession argei liberalia honour liber also agonalia mar quinquatrus later expanded fiveday holiday quinquatria feria marti also feast day minerva possibly temple aventine hill dedicated day tubilustrium purification trumpet day marked qrcf comitia calata met sanction will hilaria twoweeks long festival commemorating cybele lamentation fasting castigation taurobolium festoonment washing death rejoicing resurrection mortal lover attis anniversary temple luna aventine major feria conceptivae april latin festival kalends veneralia honour venus – ludi megalenses megalesia honor magna mater cybele whose temple dedicated april bc anniversary temple fortuna publica – cerialia ludi cereri festival game cere established bc ides anniversary temple jupiter victor fordicidia offering pregnant cow tellus earth parilia rustic festival honour pale dy natalis rome first two wine festival vinalia vinalia priora previous year wine held originally jupiter later venus robigalia agricultural festival involving dog sacrifice julian calendar may ludi florales honour flora extended may empire feria conceptivae month ambarvalia kalends game flora continue sacrifice maia anniversary temple bona dea aventine rite lares praestites tutelaries city rome imperial period last celebration flora anniversary one temple lemuria festival dead public household rite possibly sacrifice mania th anniversary temple mar invictus mar unconquered second procession argei ides mercuralia honor mercury feria jove one four agonalia probably third festival vediovis second tubilustrium feria volcanus vulcan qrcf following tubilustrium march anniversary temple fortuna primigenia scullard place taurian game june – scholar doubt ludi fixed date recurred regular basis kalends anniversary temple juno moneta temple mar clivus slope street outside porta capena possibly temple tempestates storm goddess also festival complex goddess cardea carna anniversary temple bellona anniversary restoration temple hercules custos anniversary temple dius fidius ludi piscatorii fishermens game – vestalia honour vesta june dy religiosus anniversary temple men matralia honour mater matuta also anniversary temple fortuna forum boarium ides feria jove – quinquatrus minusculae lesser quinquatrus celebrated tibicines fluteplayers role accompanist religious ceremony commemoration involving temple minerva aventine anniversary march anniversary temple summanus festival fors fortuna seems rowdy affair poorly attested observance honour lares anniversary temple jupiter stator anniversary temple hercules musarum hercules mus renamed julius caesar month called quinctilis quintilis originally fifth month quint year began march point calendar forward month numerical designation kalends scarcely attested anniversary temple juno felicitas poplifugia – ludi apollinares game honour apollo first held bc oneday event july established annual bc anniversary temple fortuna muliebris none nonae caprotinae ancillarum feria festival serving woman sacrifice consus unspecified public priest sacerdotes publici also minor festival two pale vitulatio – series market fair mercatus following ludi apollinares religious holiday ides transvectio equitum procession cavalry anniversary temple honos virtu sacrifice victory dy ater black day meaning day ill omen marking defeat roman gaul battle allia bc leading sack rome gaul lucaria – ludi victoriae caesaris game victorious caesar held annually bc anniversary temple concordia foot capitol neptunalia held honour neptune furrinalia feria publicae honour furrina anniversary temple fortune day fortunae huiusque diei renamed augustus caesar month called sextilis originally sixth month sext year began march kalends anniversary temple spes hope forum holitorium commemoration also two victory palatine supplicia canum punishment dog unusual dog sacrifice procession temple iuventas youth summanus connected gallic siege public sacrifice sacrificium publicum temple salus quirinal public sacrifice sol indiges sacrifice heifer hercules invictus libation skyphos hercules ides festival diana aventine nemoralia slave given day attend deity honored temple include vortumnus fortuna equestris hercules victor invictus porta trigemina castor pollux camenae flora portunalia honour portunus anniversary temple janus vinalia rustica originally honour jupiter later venus consualia sacrifice aventine vulcanalia feria volcano honour vulcan along sacrifice maia nymph campo field perhaps campus martius ops opifera hora sacrifice luna graecostasis first three day mysterious ritual pit called mundus opened opiconsivia feria opi honour ops consivae regia volturnalia flamen volturnalis made sacrifice volturnus game circus maximus circenses sol luna kalends ceremony jupiter tonans thunderer capitolium juno regina aventine anniversary one temple jupiter stator – ludi romani ludi magni oldest famous ludi ides anniversary temple jupiter optimus maximus epulum iovis epulum capitoline triad equorum probatio approval horse cavalry parade imperial period – day set aside market fair mercatus immediately following ludi romani anniversary rededication temple apollo campus martius latona also honored anniversary temple venus genetrix vowed julius caesar kalends ceremony fides tigillum sororium – ludi augustales established ad death augustus based augustalia ieiunium cereris day fasting honour cere instituted bc quinquennial observance made annual augustus second three day mundus opened dy ater black day mark anniversary battle arausio bc none rite jupiter fulgur jupiter daytime lightning juno curitis rite shrine genius publicus fausta felicitas venus victrix capitolium ceremony mark rededication temple juno moneta meditrinalia augustalia celebrated ad honour divinized augustus established bc new altar sacrifice fortuna redux fontinalia honour fons ceremony mark restoration temple penates dei velian hill ides october horse sacrifice mar campus martius also feria jupiter armilustrium dy religiosus honour mar november ludi victoriae sullanae victory game sulla established annual event bc kalends ludi circenses close sullan victory game – ludi plebeii plebeian game third three day mundus ritual pit opened ides epulum jovis also ceremony feronia fortuna primigeniae second equorum probatio cavalry parade july – market fair mercatus bona dea rite woman none country festival faunus held pagi festival tiberinus pater gaia agonalia indiges also probably unrelated septimontium ceremony temple consus aventine ides dy natalis temple tellus associated lectisternium cere consualia feria consus second year – saturnalia honour saturn public ritual th eponalia honor epona opalia honor ops divalia honor angerona hercules cere also received sacrifice anniversary temple lares permarini porticus minucia larentalia commemoration temple diana juno regina circus flaminius tempestates sigillaria last day saturnalia devoted giftgiving dy natalis solis invicti birthday unconquered sun brumalia imperial following moveable feast listed roughly chronological order compitalia held sometime december saturnalia january later empire regularly held january – macrobius th century ad still categorized conceptivae sementivae festival sowing honoring tellus cere placed january – ovid regard feria paganalia varro may indicate two separate festival fornacalia midfebruary baking festival celebrated curia archaic division roman people date announced curio maximus set curia individually general fornacalia february missed uncertain curia belonged amburbium ceremony purify city urbs whole perhaps held sometime february feria latinae latin festival major old conceptivae april ambarvalia purification field may rosalia festival rose also fixed date technically one feria conceptivae date announced public priest based archaic practice festival also held ancient rome response particular event particular purpose propitiate show gratitude toward god example livy report following roman destruction alba longa th century bc removal alban populace rome reported rained stone mon albanus roman deputation sent investigate report shower stone witnessed roman took sign displeasure alban god worship abandoned evacuation alba longa livy go say roman instituted public festival nine day instigation either heavenly voice heard mon albanus haruspices livy also say became longstanding practice rome whenever shower stone reported festival nine day would ordered response another irregular festival note secular game course several day sacrifice entertainer game hosted state attempting greatest display anyone living ever seen game intended held every year purpose occurring individual lifetime one point two cycle secular game held simultaneously leading people would fact witness twice life noun mercatus plural mercatūs mean commerce market generally also refers fair market held immediately certain ludi cicero said numa pompilius semilegendary second king rome established mercatus conjunction religious festival facilitate trade since people already gathered great number early time mercatus may played role wholesale trade commerce rome became sophisticated late republic seem become retail fair specialized holiday market sigillaria attached saturnalia may mercatus sense surviving fasti record mercatus apollinares july – mercatus romani september – mercatus plebeii november – others may existed english word fair derives latin feria outset nineteenth century particularly response carnage latter year french revolution term roman holiday taken sinister aspect implying event occasion enjoyment profit expense derived suffering others passage dying gladiator lord byron childe harolds pilgrimage young barbarian playthere dacian mother—he sirebutchered make roman holiday benignly phrase used title romantic movie set rome roman holiday fasti spectacle ancient rome kaczor idaliana “characteristics roman female deities” studia ceranea journal waldemar ceran research centre history culture mediterranean area southeast europe december – httpsdoiorgx