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Holidays are something special that people look forward to in our culture today. We get together with family and friends and have big meals to celebrate religions and services. In the Roman culture, they were an everyday thing, some of which had restrictions on who was allowed to attend. They were full of sacrifices and superstitious rituals that would make today's world of believing in a bunny that brings eggs to your house or a fat man climbing down a chimney seem normal. Through our presentation, you will be able to observe how holidays and customs in our world compare to that of the Romans.

Holidays

  • Include rituals
  • if not performed correctly, gods could become angry
  • preserve memory of ancient agrarian society
  • the number of festivals outnumbers the number of working days

("Daily Life")

Types of Festivals

Spring Festivals

  • March-May
  • hopes and fears for growing crops and herds
  • worship Mars

Winter Festivals

  • festivals of sowing
  • social rejoicing
  • anticipation of coming year

Summer Festivals

  • festivals of fulfilment
  • celebration of harvest

("Roman Festivals")

Categories of Holidays

Dies fastus

  • legal action is permitted

Dies comitalis

  • votes may be taken on political or criminal matters

Nefastus publicus

  • public festivals are celebrated

Dies nefastus

  • no legal action or voting may occur

(Hunt)

January

  • Early January
  • most important of feriae Conceptivae
  • landowners build small shrine with alter
  • place plough and a wooden doll for each person in household
  • sacrifice to purify farm for the coming year
  • slaves given extra rations
  • foreman of estate dined with family

(Hunt)

February

  • to gods of netherworld and souls of deceased
  • dead ancestors
  • brought offerings to tombs including wreath and blood soaked wine
  • sprinkled grain, salt, and violet petals
  • marriage prohibited on this day
  • Ovid's story

(Hunt)

March

No major holidays

April

  • 7 day celebration
  • dedicated to the Great Mother Goddess, Cybele
  • Games held
  • Aristocratic Romans hold private parties on first day
  • Priests parade down street singing Greek hymns and carrying a crowned statue

(Hunt)

  • Games to honor Ceres
  • Ceralia- festival that closes games
  • Farmers offer salt, incense, milk, honey, and wine

(Hunt)

  • Ancient festivals
  • To promote fertility of fields and herds
  • Offer a pregnant cow

(Hunt)

  • agricultural festival
  • Purify and protect flocks
  • held in honor of Pales
  • purification of sheep and shepherds
  • keep them from disease
  • jump over or between bonfires
  • fire made of olive and pine wood with laurel branckes thrown in to purify the sheep
  • offerings of millet cakes, food, and milk
  • asked forgiveness if they accidentally grazed on holy land, cut wood, or sullied any sacred waterd

(Hunt)

  • six days of games
  • spectators showered with vetches, beans, and lupines
  • magical stimulation of fertility
  • hundreds of hares and goats released on last day

(Hunt)

May

  • Festival of the dead
  • performed by head of family
  • so deceased household members won't haunt house
  • rises at midnight
  • washes hands
  • makes mano fico sign
  • walks barefoot through house spitting out 9 black beans
  • says "With this I ransom me and mine"
  • washes hands again
  • hits a loud gong
  • repeats 9 times "Ancestral ghosts depart!"

(Hunt)

June

  • starts June 7
  • 7 days long
  • clean out temple of Vesta
  • men forbidden from entering
  • one of most ancient festivals
  • holiday period for bakers and millers because of mola salsa
  • Vesta clauditur- day dirt was swept from temple and dumped into Tiber River
  • closed to public

(Hunt)

July

  • dedicated to foreign god
  • games held every 4 years
  • sacrificed an ox to Apollo
  • sacrificed a cow to Latona
  • sacrificed 2 shegoats with gilded horns
  • people wore garland and held feasts

(Hunt)

  • Feast of the serving women
  • offering of milky sap
  • stick cut from fig tree was used be ancillae in the mock battle

(Hunt)

August

  • first Greek god to make it to Rome
  • sacrifice a heifer
  • no references to any other gods
  • can't remove sacrificed animal from temple
  • women excluded
  • no animals allowed to pollute alter
  • ask for continuous prosperity

(Hunt)

  • God of the store bin and the harvest grain that is stored
  • underground alter lying beneath Circus Maximus
  • celebrates end of harvest
  • remove soil from underground alter
  • begin sacrifice of first fruits
  • horse and chariot races in Circus Maximus
  • horses in city would be garlanded and giving a vacation day in Consus's honor

(Hunt)

  • Vulcanus receive classic substitution sacrifice
  • drive animals into the fire as substitute for themselves
  • throw live fish as substitute

(Hunt)

September

  • drive nail into temple wall each year to avert plague
  • could tell what year it was
  • joint feast among magistrates and senators
  • sacrifice of a white heifer or use 2nd batch of mola salsa

(Hunt)

October

  • sacred to Jupiter and dedicated to Mars
  • chariot races in honor of Mars
  • right horse of winning pair is sacrificed
  • horse's head was adorned with loaves of bread
  • head cut off and decorated with cakes
  • priest collects tail and takes it to king's house to bleed on sacred hearth

(Hunt)

November

No Major Holidays

December

Saturnalia- December 17

  • midwinter celebration of the Solstice
  • greatest annual holiday
  • sacrifice of young pig at temple of Saturn
  • slaves even given day off
  • dice used to choose one person at dinner to be Saturnalia King
  • everyone forced to obey his absurd commands to sing, dance, or blacken their faces and be thrown into cold water
  • deck halls with boughs of laurel, green trees, and candles and lamps
  • exchange gifts
  • laws against gambling relaxed
  • men stopped wearing togas for synthesis
  • wore felt cap to show they were not slaves

(Hunt)

Marriage

1. Usus

  • for Plebiens
  • was not recognized by Paticians ("Marriage and Customs")
  • must live together for a year Source

2. Coemptio

  • symbolic purchase of the bride ("Roman Weddings and Marriage")
  • survived from anciet custom of purchasing brides ("Marriage and Customs")

3. Confarreati

  • strictest form of marriage
  • normal for upper class
  • wife was totally under husbands manus ("Roman Weddings and Marriage")
  • At 12, a girl is ready for marriage
  • 14 was the standard age
  • Fathers choose husband
  • give the groom's family a dowry
  • Economics and politics > love and compatibility
  • Engagement rings were worn on the third finger of the left hand
  • Romans believed that a nerve ran from this finger directly to the heart ("Roman Weddings")
  • Bride dressed by mother ("Roman Weddings")
  • Consisted of plain white woolen tunica recta and overlaid by white stola
  • Around her waist, a woolen sash tied in a Hercules knot
  • warded off evil spirits
  • Had a flame colored Veil and saffron shoes ("Roman Weddings and Marriage")
  • Hair was divided into 6 locks with a spear
  • A floral headdress went over her hair ("Marriage and Customs")
  • at least 10 guests needed to make it legal ("Roman Weddings")
  • Bride given away by her mother
  • Vows were given while holding each other's right hand ("Roman Weddings and Marriage")
  • chanted "Quando to Gaius, ego Gaia" Rings were exchanged
  • Offering of Cake was made to Jupiter
  • Bride had to walk from ceremony to husband's house
  • Anyone could join
  • Three boys escorted the bride
  • one in the front, the others on her sides
  • Bride carried a distaff and spindle
  • Guests shouted "Talassio"Meaning has been lost ("Roman Weddings and Marriage")
  • Nuts were thrown instead of modern day rice ("Roman Weddings")

Death and Funerals

  • buried or burned deceased
  • had elaborate burial rituals
  • believed in the afterlife (Higgins & Bergman)
  • deceased were put on public display
  • held at night
  • parade of family members and mourners
  • usually buried in a Columbaria ("A Roman Funeral)
  • Collegia- a funeral society
  • paid monthly dues to have a spot in the Columbaria
  • Columbaria- large underground vaults
  • held cremation ashes in small wall niches
  • inexpensive way to ensure a way into the afterlife
  • Emperors provided allowances to the very poor ("A Roman Funeral")
  • Burial
  • body must be buried in a proper manner
  • soul would haunt its home and family members
  • children under 40 days old and slaves were required to be buried(Higgins & Bergman)
  • Cremation
  • burned in a Pyre at end of funeral parade
  • ashes had to be buried ("A Roman Funeral")
  • life viewed as a prison for the soul
  • all men were gods
  • believed that the deceased's soul was carried over the river Styx
  • done by the god Charon
  • Gods Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus decided where the soul would go
  • Warriors and heroes- Elysian Fields or paradise
  • Good and honest citizens- Plain of Asphodel
  • Evil spirits- Tartaros or the Hall of Fury- hell (Higgins & Bergman)

Thank you,

Ancient Roman

Feralia- February 21

Compitalia

Wedding Procession

Wedding Dress

Any Questions?

Ludi Megalesia

Games of Apollo- July 6-13

Types of Marriage

(Harrsch, Mary)

Vestalia

Ludi Cereri- April 12

Lemuria- May 9, 11, 13

(Harrsch, Mary)

(Favrielle's Atelier)

Fordicidia- April 15

Nones of the Wild Fig- July 7

Parilia- April 21

Wedding Ceremony

Pre-Marriage Traditions

Ludi Florae- April 27-May 2

("Wild Fig)

Beliefs

("Temple of

Vesta")

Customs

Festivals

Ides of October- October 15

Festival of Hercules- August 12

("Roman Weddings")

(Cassia, Patricia)

Banquet with Jupiter- September 13

Consualia- August 21

Collegia and Columbaria

Burial & Cremation

Volcanalia- August 23

(Dorje)

After Life

Ceremony

("A Roman Funeral")

(Polybius on Roman Funerals)

"Saturnalia"

Ancient Roman

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