Lemuria (festival)
lemuralia lemuria annual event religion ancient rome roman performed rite exorcise malevolent fearful ghost restless dead home unwholesome spectre lemures larva propitiated chant offering black bean julian calendar three day festival may lemurias name origin myth according ovid derives supposed remuria instituted romulus appease angry spirit murdered twin remus philosopher porphyry point remus death violent premature matter regret romulus toynbee defines lemures ordinary di mane made harmful spiteful living kinless neglected death rite memorial free leave dead body unable enter underworld afterlife less common mischievous dangerous type ghost known larva thought wander house lemures name larva rarity source seems also used frightening type theater mask dolansky belief lemuralia meant help family member died circumstance prevented delayed admission afterlife died time childhood youth disease war assault misadventure circumstance prevented given proper burial funeral rite ovid detailed account lemuria householder perhaps others walk barefoot house midnight wash hand spring water take thumb finger hand ward ghost take mouthful black bean spit behind throw behind shoulder hungry lemures gather unseen chant send bean redeem mine haec ego mitto redimo meque meosque fabis nine time rest household clash bronze pot repeating ghost father ancestor gone mane exite paterni householder wash hand springwater three time turn see result offering exorcism lemures seen ovid us lemur mane presumably ghost festival different name little individuation differing level malice benevolence presumably overlap identity larva hand thought entirely unforgiving even demonic literature present persecuting living torturing bad soul hades lemuralia temple closed marriage allowed three day lemuralia performance argei ceremony month supposedly substitute former human sacrifice made whole month may unlucky marriage one possible explanation ovid mense maio malae nubunt fasti cited erasmus adagia english roughly marry badly marry may according cultural historian lemuria christianized feast day commemorating christian martyr christian thcentury roman edessa held feast may later may pope boniface iv reconsecrated pantheon rome blessed virgin martyr feast dedicatio sanctae mariae ad martyres celebrated rome ever since started feast saint day saint day anthesteria dziady feralia halloween parentalia radonitsa setsubun similar japanese custom httppenelopeuchicagoeduthayereromantextssecondarysmigralemuraliahtml smith william dictionary greek roman antiquity