Liberalia
ancient roman religion liberalia march festival liber pater consort libera roman celebrated liberalia sacrifice procession ribald gauche song mask hung tree feast celebrated maturation young boy manhood roman boy usually age would remove bulla praetexta hollow charm gold leather parent placed neck child ward evil spirit liberalia ceremony young men might place bulla altar lock hair stubble first shave placed inside dedicate lares god household family mother often retrieved discarded bulla kept superstition son ever achieved public triumph mother could display bulla ward evil might wished upon son envious people celebration meant honor liber pater ancient god fertility wine like bacchus roman version greek god dionysus liber pater also vegetation god responsible protecting seed like dionysus female priestess libers older woman known sacerdos liberi wearing wreath ivy made special cake libia oil honey passing devotee would sacrifice behalf time feast evolved included goddess libera feast divided liber governed male seed libera female ovid almanac entry festival identifies libera celestial manifestation ariadne ceremony country rustic ceremony processional featured large phallus devotee carried throughout countryside bring blessing fertility land people protect crop evil end procession virtuous respected matron placed wreath upon phallus procession argei celebrated march related liberalia argei sacred shrine created numen powerful god without form face found throughout region rome however modern scholar discovered meaning use argei celebration figure also called argei fashioned rush shape resembling men later year tossed river origin celebration certain many scholar feel may ritualistic offering meant appease praise numa argei probably represented thirty elder roman curia possibly latin township ancient scholar wrote use bulrush icon meant deter celebrant human sacrifice done honor saturn historical document indicate argei sacred place took name chieftain came hercules argive rome occupied capitoline saturnian hill way present verify information coincide belief rome founded pelasgians name argo linked group liberalia relatively unknown event modern time reference liberalia roman goddess libera still found astrology dionysia bulla praetexta