"Feast of the Serving Women". During this festival, Rome's female slaves would dress up in the finest clothes they had and would attack men of free birth with fig boughs.
Floralia:
April 28-30
A feast to celebrate the flowering of grains and to honor Flora.
During the Empire, games were held in the Circus Maximus to honor Flora, and the gathered crowds were showered with beans and lupines. Animals with great fertility (rabbits, goats, etc.) were released into the country. Women were encouraged to wear brightly coloured clothing, and wear flowers as garlands and in their hair during Floralia to honor Flora.
Fontinalia:
October 13
Feast of the Source.
Fordicalia:
April 15
During this festival a pregnant cow was sacrificed to Tellus Mater, "Mother Earth", who was considered pregnant with seeds. The unborn calf was taken to the Grand Vesta in Rome, where the priestess of Vesta burned it in Vesta's sacred flame (considered to be the flame of the earth). The ashes of the burned fetus were kept safe for later use during the Parilia.
Furrinalia:
July 25
This festival venerated all those who searched for underground water sources. In Rome's early days it was a festival that took place in a grove on the Janiculum, and honored the goddess Furrina.
Greater Quinquatrus:
March 19-23
The Greater Quinquatrus was a festival for Minerva as a Goddess of the Arts. The first day of the festival was dedicated to the arts, and those who practiced them would give Minerva sacrifices at her temple on the Aventine.
Guild Festival:
March 15
Guilds who's members practiced the arts of Minerva had a festival on this day. This was mainly a plebean festival, and was celebrated at Minerva's temple in Rome. Weapons used for war were purified during this festival.
Feast for Lares Praestites:
May 1
During the Republic the Lares Praestites were honored on this day, especially at their temple along the Via Sacra.
Lemuria:
May 9, 11, 13
Lemuria is a private series of rites held to ward off the Lemures (spirits of the dead). For the rite, the pater familia got up at Midnight wearing clothes without knots and washed his hands with pure water. He would then walk through the household without looking backwards spitting black beans out of his mouth and repeating a prayer nine times. After he was done he would again wash his hands and would then make noise using instruments made of brass. It was thought that the Lemures would collect the beans instead of the souls of the living, and would be scared away by the noise. At the end of the rite he sould again say a chant nine times and then look backwards to ensure that the Lemures were gone.
Liberalia:
March 17
Liberala was a fertility festival celebrated in rural areas. Most towns created a large phallus and carted it through the countryside and into the town center where it stayed until the beginning of the next month. The phallus was decorated by a virtuous woman with flowers, which ensured a good crop at the next harvest.
Lucaria/Lacuria:
July 19, 21
"Feasts of Clearings". These two feasts celebrated the luci (lucus/lacus = a clearing ringed with trees) where Roman farmers grew their crops. The farmers would say a prayer, and then clear the land to be used during the next growing season. In Rome, the rites took place at the sacred grove near the Tiber at the Vial Salaria. The festival was paid for by revenue generated by public groves.
Ludi Romani:
September 5-19
"Games of Rome". The Ludi Romani were held in honor of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.
Lupercalia:
February 15
The Lupercalia was celebrated to worship the she-wolf who suckled Romulus & Remus. It started with a group of specially appointed priests gathering at the Lupercal, a cave at the bottom of the Palatine Hill. The priests would offer a sacrifice a goat, and annoint the Lupercii (young male participants) on their foreheads with the blood. The blood was wiped away with milk by other priests, and the young men laughed at them. The Lupercii them skinned the sacrificed goat and ripped the hide into strips which they tied around their naked waists. They then got drunk, and ran around Rome striking everyone they met with goatskin thongs. Young women who were touched in this manner were thought to be specially blessed, especially in regards to fertility and procreation.
Lychnapsia:
August 12
This was a celebration for the birthday of Isis. Lamps were lit for the goddess on this day in her temples. Lychnapsia was not celebrated in Rome until after the Roman conquest of Egypt.
Maia's Feast:
May 1
Maia received the sacrifice of a pregnant cow on this day.
Megalesia:
April 4-10
The Megalesia was dedicated to Cybele (Magna Mater). The festival began with a ceremonial offering of herbs at the temple of Magna Mater.
Matralia:
June 11
Matralia was a festival held in honor of Mater Matua. During the festival with statue of the goddess was decorated with garlands and gifts by women who had been married once, and cakes cooked in clay pots were offered to the goddess. Only one female slave was allowed into the temple on this day, the one chosen to be ritually slapped on the head.
Matronalia:
March 1
During this festival Roman women would visit Juno's temple on the Esquiline. Their husbands would stay at home to pray, and give their wives money and other presents when the women returned home from the temple. During Matronalia the Vestal Virgins gave offerings of their hair to Juno in her sacred groves near Rome. Pregnant women would unbind their hair and clothing so as to prevent any restrictions that might carry over to their labour.
Neptunalia:
July 23
This festival celebrated Neptune as the god of irrigation. During the festival, participants would sit under arbors made from leaves. They would ask Neptune to continue supplying them with fresh water during the heat of the summer and early autumn.
Opisconsivia:
August 25
This festival honored Ops. During the festival, the Vestal Virgins and the Pontifex Maximus (who wore a white veil and carried a praefericulum) would enter her shrine in the Regia. In early Roman times the festival was held in Rome's main grain storage area.
Parentalia:
February 13-21
This festival honored the dead. It began at dawn on February 13th and ended with the Feralia on February 21st. All temples were closed during the Parentalia, and all Romans were expected to give offerings to the deceased at the necropolis located outside the city walls.
Parilia:
April 21, July 7
Festivals for Pales, goddess of herds. During these festivals, ritualistic cleansing of sheep/cattle pens and animals would take place.
The shepherd would sweep out the pens and smudge the animals and pens with burning sulfur. In the evening, the animals were sprinkled with water, and their pens were decorated with garlands. Fires were started, and in were thrown olives, horse blood, beanstalks without pods, and the ashes from the Fordicalia fires. Men and beasts jumped over the fire three times to purify themselves further, and to bring them protection from anything that might harm them (wolves, sickness, starvation, etc.). After the animals were put back into their pens the shepherds would offer non-blood sacrifices of grain, cake millet, and warm milk to Pales.
The festival in April was for smaller livestock, while the one in July was for larger animals.
Plebeian Games:
November 4-17
This set of games was established for the common people in the 200s BCE. They were opened with a procession of Rome's magistrates and priests that wound from the Capitoline through the Forum along the via sacra to the Circus Maximus. The first week of the games was set aside for plays and other types of theatre. The last three days were reserved for athletic events.
Popilfugia:
July 5
This festival means "Flight of the People". Not much is known about it other than it took place on the Field of Mars, and involved the citizens of Rome fleeing from an (now) unknown foe.
Robigalia:
April 25
A festival intended to protect corn from blight. During Robigalia, in a special grove outside of the city walls, offerings were given to Robiga.
Salus:
August 5
Offerings and sacrifices for Salus were done on her hilltop shrines on this day.
Spes:
August 1
Festival in which public rites for Spes were held at her temple.
Terminalia:
February 23
On this day, landowners would honor the boundries of their land at the boundry markers. Garlands were placed over the boundry stones, and altars were built near them. Offerings of grain and homey were given by the children, and the adults would offer wine. Everyone was dressed in white, and were required to keep silent throughout the offerings. A picnic feast was held at the end of the ritual.
Veneralia:
April 1
Festival during which select women or Rome gave Venus' statue its yearly ritual bath.
Vinalia:
April 23
"Festival of the Vine". On this day the first wines of the year were tasted, and libations were made in honour of Jupiter. It was also a special day for prostitutes, who payed homage to Venus.
Vinalia Rustica:
August 19
This feast was held to ask Jupiter to not send storms, hail, heavy rains, or floods before the grapes could ripen and be harvested, and to ask him when the best time to harvest said grapes would be.
Venus was also honored during the Vinalia Rustica as a goddess of vegetation and gardens.
Vitulatio:
July 8th
During this festival, Vitula was given the first fruits of the earth.
Volturnalia/Volturnia:
August 27
This was a feast held to protect the still-ripening fruits from shrivelling in the hot South-Eastern winds common this time of year.
Vulcanalia:
August 23
This festival celebrated Vulcan, the god of fire, and the useful and destructive natures of fire in general. Maia, Hora, and Ops were also celebrated during the Vulcanalia.
Festivals Page
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