The Festival of Mars (March 1st)
(Feriae Marti, Natalis Martis)
In the pre-Julian Roman calendar, the year began with the spring equinox, and March (Martius) was the first month of the year, a time when nature comes back to life after winter. The month was named after the god Mars, who, as the father of Romulus and Remus, was closely associated with the legends of the founding of Rome. He acquired the attributes of the god of war under Greek influence, thus becoming identical to Ares. In the beginning, he was the protector of families and fields. Cato dedicates the following prayer to him (a summary from the work De Agri Cultura):
Oh Father Mars,
I pray and invoke you
to be merciful and generous towards me,
towards my home and my family,
so I offer you sacrifices
in my fields, in my house, and on my estate,
to ward off, to protect us from all illnesses,
present and future, difficulties, misfortune,
losses and unwanted influences.
Grant good health and strength
to me, my home, and my entire family.
And for this reason, in order to purify my estate,
my pol I, as a pleasantry to my country,
I ask you, O Mars, to accept these sacrifices.
The priests celebrated Mars throughout the entire month. On the Kalendae (the first day of the month) the Salian priests, divided into two groups of twelve members each, would dance in military armor and carry the ancilia (twelve legendary shields). According to legend, in ancient times one ancile fell from the sky as a gift from the god Mars (or, according to some, Jupiter). In fear of it being destroyed or stolen, King Numa Pompilius had eleven identical shields made and entrusted them to the custody of the Salian priestly brotherhood. The Salian priests danced through the city to the sounds of the flute and sang old songs that were unintelligible to the uninitiated.
Matronalia (March 1st)
(for Juno Lucina of the Esquiline) They would rival each other; in return, women would gift them with service and serve them at the table on this occasion. This order of gifting followed the traditional hierarchy: the master of the house is responsible for and takes care of his wife and family, while the mistress takes care of the servants and children. The celebration was accompanied by song and dance.
Anna Perenna (March 15)
Goddess Anna Perenna (Fertile Year), portrayed as an old woman, governed the cycle of years. Her feast fell on the ides of March, that is, on the first full moon of the year. Sacrifices and prayers were offered to her for a fruitful and healthy year. Men and women would go into nature outside the city and celebrate with song and dance. Diluted wine was consumed, as many glasses as one hoped to live years.
Liberalia (March 17)
This was a holiday dedicated to Liber Pater (Father Liber), an ancient Italic deity of fertility in nature, and his female counterpart Libera Mater (Mother Libera) who brings fertility to women. On that day, adult Roman young They used to replace their boyish tunic (praetexta) with adult men’s clothing (toga virilis). Later, Liber Pater was declared the god of wine, due to the similarity with Ceres, the goddess of crops and vegetation.
On that day, old women played the role of priestesses of those gods; they would sit by the road and sell sacrificial cakes, liba, made of flour, oil, and honey, which were offered to the gods on their small altars.
Quinquatrus (March 19-24)
The name of this festival comes from the fact that March 19 was the fifth day from the March ides, which fell on March 15. The Romans counted inclusively, i.e. March 16 was already the second day after March 15, not the first.
It is a celebration of the spring equinox in which Mars and Minerva were celebrated, who was most likely an Etruscan goddess of thunder and lightning before merging with the Greek Athena. In ancient times, this festival marked the arrival of the season of military campaigns and a new beginning. Minerva is also the protector of all skills. and abilities, so artists, warriors, and doctors all equally revered her.
Although named after Mars, March is under the protection of Minerva. The first day of the quinquatrus was especially dedicated to Minerva, as it was considered the day of her birth. On that day, shedding blood was not allowed. Ovid recommends children to worship Minerva in order to be successful in knowledge and skills:
Now pray to Minerva,
boys and gentle girls,
whoever gains her favor will be skilled,
for she is the Goddess of Thousand Skills.
Veneralia (April 1st)
April is under the protection of Venus, and some ancient authors derive the name of the month (Aprilis) from the name Aphrodite, perhaps through the assimilated Etruscan variant of the name; others derive the name from aperire – to open, as it is the time when, according to Varro, “fruits, flowers, animals, seas, and lands open up”.
Veneralia, on the first day of Venus’ month, celebrated Venus Verticordia (She who changes hearts) and her companion Fortunae Virilis. In ancient times, all women , married or unmarried, would go to men’s bathhouses. Upon arrival, they would light scents of Fortuna Virilis and drink the same drink that Venus had on the night of her wedding: poppy soaked in milk with honey. Crowned with wreaths of fragrant myrtle, the women would first bathe and then pray to Venus to bring them marital harmony and a happy life. Ovid says, “Beauty, happiness, and good fortune are her concern.” After that, they would remove the jewelry and other ornaments from the statues of Venus and Fortuna, bathe them, and then adorn them again with roses (Venus’s flowers).
Floralia (April 28th)
It was a spring festival of fertility, dedicated to Mater Flori, the goddess of flowers and plants, who has been revered since ancient times. People wore clothing in cheerful colors, matching the colors of the flowers. Tables were decorated with roses, and the attendees wore flower crowns. Both rabbits and goats – known for their resilience and fertility – were let free to run around, and legumes such as peas, lentils, and lupine beans were thrown among them. People were giving them fertility.
Maja and Bona Dea (May 1st)
The month of May (Maius) is under the protection of the god Apollo; the name of the celebration probably originates from Maia, the name of the Roman goddess associated with women’s fertility. Men were not allowed to worship this goddess, and it was not permitted to bring myrtle branches into her temple because her father Faunus used to beat her with myrtle branches. In her temple – where various types of spice and medicinal herbs and snakes were kept – women in mellari (vessels for honey) brought wine called lac (milk), and the image of the goddess Maia was decorated with grapevine leaves. Bona Dea is identified with the Greek goddess Agathos Dea (Good Goddess), who is in turn related to Hygiea (Hygiene, health). This implies a connection with the skill of healing. In ancient times, a pig was sacrificed to her, and today a cake in that shape is offered to her. There is also a connection with Demeter, to whom pigs were also sacrificed. Since the name for pig is damium, Bona D She was also called Damia, and her priestess was Damiatrix. However, these terms were not derogatory for the Romans.
Lemuria (May 9, 11, and 13)
The Lemuria ritual was performed to appease the spirits of the dead, especially those who died prematurely. The rituals were performed on odd days, as it was believed that even days brought bad luck. The ritual itself looked like this:
The head of the family, pater familias, would rise at midnight, barefoot. He would show la mano fico (a fist with the thumb between the index and middle fingers) to protect himself from the spirits. Then he would wash his hands in clean spring water. Averting his gaze, he would toss grains of beans to the spirits, while saying: Haec ego mitto, hic redimo meque meosque fabis. (I cast these grains, with these grains I redeem myself and my family.)
The beans have a symbolic role as “guides of lost souls” to heaven, as their germ breaks through the ground and the stem climbs around the planted stick towards the sky.
The pater familias would repeat the same ritual. Three times by three times, without turning back, because the spirits followed him. Then he washed himself again, loudly hitting objects made of bronze and saying three times by three times: Manes exite paterni! (Ancestors’ souls, vanish!) Then he could turn around and look again, because the calming of the spirits was finished.
Maja and Mercury (May 15th)
The May ides, the 15th, or the 13th day of May, was celebrated as the birthday of the god Mercury, the swift messenger of Jupiter, but that day was also dedicated to his mother Maja. Devotees of the god Mercury, especially traders, poured holy water from Acqua Mercurii (Mercury’s water) into disinfected containers. Then they dipped laurel branches into this water and sprinkled their clothes and hair with it, while simultaneously praying for success in their future business ventures.
On this day, Jupiter was also celebrated, as was customary on the ides of every month.