The power of ancient Rome spanned vast territories. The colorful culture of the conquering countries influenced the empire. The culture of Rome reunited the ancient customs of the conquered peoples with the personality cult of the supreme power holder - the emperor. After all, he was deified throughout Rome. This helped to avoid losing the identity of Roman culture, despite the impact from other nations. She had her own idea, her own core.
Holidays in ancient Rome included competitions, religious and political events. Due to the difficult political situation in the empire, where everything was completely and completely subordinate to the leader-dictator, it was necessary to distract ordinary people with something. Therefore, the celebrations in ancient Rome met the slogan of the people: "Bread and circuses!"
Much attention was paid to religious holidays. In ancient Rome, people believed that every item has a soul. And a certain god gave him this soul. Therefore, they worshiped deities who, in their opinion, could bring them both wealth and grief. Therefore, the celebrations mainly included the presentation of gifts to the gods in order to appease them.
Many holidays have survived to this day. They are celebrated not only in Italy, but also around the world. The main ancient Roman holidays, their origin, traditions, we will consider in our article today.
March Ides
In ancient Rome there were no weeks and days. To count the time, they used ides, nones, and calendars. Ides is the middle of the month. It was the 15th in July, October, March and May. In the remaining months, the ides fell on the 13th. On this day, the priests of the god Jupiter sacrificed a sheep.
During the reign of Caesar, a new Roman calendar appeared - Julian. Because of this, the ides have lost their meaning. However, how did the ides stand out in March? This day has become fatal. He influenced the course of history as a whole.
March 15 celebrated the New Year and honored the goddess Anna Perenna. Near the Tiber River, huts made of young greenery were installed and were located there or under the open sky. On this day, people hugged a lot, drank and sang obscene songs. The ceremony of burning Anna Perenna in the image of a harmful old woman was carried out. There is a myth about how Mars turned to Anna for help. He wanted to gain the favor of young Minerva. Anna Perenna promised to help. Later, Merva actually came to Mars in a wedding attire. When he rushed to kiss her, her veils fell from her, and Anna herself appeared before him. She ridiculed him, unashamed in expression. This legend became the basis for many songs that were sung on March 15th. An interesting fact is that in some cities in Italy to this day, the ceremony of burning the goddess is carried out.
But the March ides are better known because of another event. On March 15, Julius Caesar was killed. He was killed by the Republicans, who believed that this would help save the Republic. But it turned out quite the opposite. It only accelerated her fall.
It is known that long before March 15, the soothsayer warned Caesar about the danger of the Ides of March. But the proud ruler did not surround himself with protection. He said that it is better to die once than to constantly expect death.
One of the conspirators was Brutus, who was a close friend of Caesar. He even considered him his son. The last words after which he stopped resisting the attack were: “And you, Brutus!” So the Ides of March became a symbol of the tragic event.
Neptune Day
Neptune in the ancient Roman culture was the god of the seas and water streams. In times of drought, people asked him to prevent drought, because the crop on which they were so dependent could die. July 23rd is one of the hottest days. Therefore, this day was celebrated Neptune or in a different day Neptune. On this day, the people also erected huts on the shore. They also sacrificed to Neptune and his wife.
There is another version of the origin of the festival of Neptune. At a time when sailors still could not know in advance weather conditions, width and longitude, at the equator their ships could stand idle not only days but also weeks. So, at the moment when the provisions were ending, the sailors asked the mercy of the patron saint of the seas and oceans.
Today, the festival of Neptune is most associated with navigation. In Russia, it began to be carried out in order to brighten up the monotonous everyday life of sailors. But ordinary people are happy to celebrate the day of Neptune. This is one of the hottest summer days. Therefore, people pour water on a friend and bathe. Mandatory presence of the patron saint of the seas and oceans. Someone is dressing up like Neptune. There should be a silver beard. In the hand of God is always a trident, with whom he controlled the body of water. Neptune appears surrounded by mermaids. Competitions and games for children are held.
Ceres Day
Cerealia - a feast of ancient Rome in honor of Ceres. She is the goddess of fertility. It was believed that the goddess taught people the cultivation of fields and was the patroness of motherhood. In anger, she could send madness to a person. Different sources marked different dates of the celebration. It was approximately on April 11-12 and was delayed for 8-9 days. On the feast of Ceres, bloody sacrifices were carried out: most often pigs were killed.
People dressed in white, and wreaths knitted heads. The celebration began with a solemn procession to the circus. Equestrian competitions were held there. People arranged meals that anyone could attend. So they asked Ceres to give them hearty food and a good harvest.
Fox persecution was also carried out. Marks that had previously been sanctified were tied to their tails. After this, the animals were released in a circus.
Juno's Day
In another way, this day is called Matronalia, descended from the word "matrons." It turns out that only married ladies celebrated this holiday. Matronalia is a great women's holiday. It was celebrated not on March 8, as is customary now, but on March 1. On this day, legally married ladies received gifts from their husbands and children. After that, they gave instructions to everyone and had to give the trinket to the slaves, and to the slaves - food. Women wore flower wreaths on their heads and put on their best clothes. So they went to the temple of Juno. They sacrificed flowers to the goddess and prayed for easy birth. At this time, their husbands prayed for a strong marriage and for the health of their spouses.
Juno's holiday is similar to modern Mother's Day. Indeed, in ancient Rome women in marriage were not welcome, but without children.
An important historical event is also associated with this date. Namely, the conclusion of a truce between the Romans and the Sabines, by the way, which happened thanks to the Sabine women.
Roman New Year
For a long time, the Romans celebrated New Year on March 1. And he was connected with the beginning of field work. However, when Gaius Julius Caesar introduced the new Roman calendar, the New Year celebration shifted to January 1. The very name of the month "January" came from the name of the god Janus. It was he who was honored in the New Year. An interesting symbol of the beginning of the new year is that Janus was a two-faced god. According to legend, with one face he looked forward to the future, and the second to the past. Janus opened the gates of heaven and let out the sun, and when night fell, he closed them again.
On this festive day, people decorated their homes and invited guests. Even slaves celebrated the New Year with their masters.
Our wonderful tradition of giving each other gifts on New Year came precisely from Ancient Rome. People presented to a friend coins with the patron god of the New Year, laurel branches and other gifts depicted on them. New Year's wishes to each other also became a good custom. People wished good luck in the New Year, sometimes congratulations were accompanied by good jokes.
The people presented gifts to their emperor. At first it was at the request of the people. But later this custom ceased to be voluntary. The people were obliged to make a gift.
It is worth noting that the emperors did not stand aside and also gave gifts to their people. There is a legend that once Julius Caesar gave one slave the most expensive present - freedom.
The infamous emperor Caligula on New Year's Day went to the square, where he received gifts from his subjects, while the servant recorded who gave and what exactly.
The celebration of the New Year was preceded by the festival of Saturnalia, which we will now discuss.
Saturnalia
This feast of Ancient Rome is named after Saturn - the king of kings or the god of fertility and landowners. We began to celebrate Saturnalia on December 17. On this day, shops were closing, children were taken home from schools, guilty slaves were not punished, criminals were not executed and not prosecuted.
Initially, it was a holiday of peasants. Indeed, in the second half of December, the harvest ended. The feast of the Saturnalia was celebrated in ancient Rome modestly and only one day. But later on he gained popularity and all classes began to celebrate him.
It is believed that carnivals appeared precisely during the celebration of Saturnalia. Even the most famous carnivals originate from ancient Rome. This holiday is very similar to carnival processions. Initially, offerings were made to Saturn - a festival and the so-called "week of idleness" began at his temple. The name came from the fact that the celebration in the last years of the Republic reached 7 days.
Slaves and their masters changed clothes. Also, the owner could not refuse his slave anything. They sat and celebrated at the same table. The master served the slave. After the celebration, he did not have the right to punish a slave for his behavior during Saturnalia. Modern carnivals have taken this particular custom with dressing as a basis. Wax candles and dough figures were a traditional gift.
Celebrations in honor of Flora
Floraria is a holiday dedicated to the goddess Flora. Flora is the patroness of flowers and youth. Celebrations were held from April 28 to May 3. These days, people decorated their homes with garlands of flowers. Women were strictly forbidden to wear bright, colorful clothes, but during the days of the celebration of Floralia, ladies were dressed that way. They danced and had fun. All the people during the celebrations in honor of the goddess Flora feasted. On one of the days of the celebration, competitions were held.
According to the Romans, a celebration in honor of the goddess Flora contributed to a good harvest of fruit trees. Therefore, it was impossible not to celebrate it.
Liberalia
Liberals by the inhabitants of Ancient Rome were celebrated on March 17. This feast is in honor of Liber, the patron of fertilization, and Ceres. On this day, young men who have reached adulthood received and first wore white toga. This meant that from now on, a person is considered a full-fledged citizen of Rome and he is no longer a child. Now the young man can vote, leave his father’s house, create his own family.
At first, Liber and his female parallel, Liber, were revered only by the lower classes. However, the equation of the estates subsequently occurred. After that, Liber began to be venerated along with such gods as Mars, Venus, etc.
Subsequently, the god Liber became the patron of free self-governing cities. After all, even his name translates as "freedom."
On March 17, the inhabitants of Ancient Rome put on masks from the bark, had fun and sang obscene songs. Sometimes it came to outright licentiousness. On this day, an erect penis was made of flowers. In ancient Rome, this was considered a symbol of fertility, as well as the beginning of a new life.
Later descriptions of Liberalia indicate that the rites on this day included sexual orgies, and even human sacrifices. It turns out that Liber was more likely not the god of freedom, but the patron of liberation from the rules.
Another god Liber was the patron saint of the vineyard. The celebration of March 17 was not chosen by chance. This day was the grape harvest.
The feast of Liberalia in ancient Rome was not complete without sacrifices. On this day, goats were usually slaughtered.
Later, Liber began to be identified with Bacchus, the patron saint of winemaking.
Veneralia in Rome
The ancient Roman festival of Venus fell on April 1. April is the middle of spring. This season is associated with warmth, love and beauty. Veneralia is a celebration in honor of the goddess Venus. She was originally the patroness of spring, fertility and flowers. Subsequently, the image of Venus was identified with the ancient Greek Aphrodite. Since it was believed that Venus was the mother of Aeneas, and his descendants founded Rome, she became the patroness of the Roman people.
The symbol of Venus was the myrtle plant. Therefore, on April 1 they wove wreaths from this plant and put them on their heads. Mass swimming took place in public pools.
For the most part, Veneralia is a women's holiday. On this day, women prayed to Venus for help in relations with men. On this day, they hid from the goddess all the jewelry and jewelry. The statue of Venus was washed with water and brought flowers to it. The origin of the custom of bathing and washing the statue of the goddess is due to the fact that Venus was identified with Aphrodite, who, according to legend, arose from the foam of the sea.
Roman Bacchanalia
This holiday is one of the most depraved in the Ancient World. It is dedicated to Bacchus, the patron saint of winemaking and the symbol of periodic death and rebirth. Celebrated on March 17th.
Initially, it was a women's holiday. Men were not allowed to the celebration. Women that day in a grove near the hill, which is now practically the center of Rome, stripped naked and staged wild dances.
However, over time, men were allowed to celebrate. Because of this, dances degenerated into orgies. It is known that not so much debauchery was between a man and a woman, but rather between a man and a man. If someone opposed and did not want intercourse, then this person was sacrificed to Bacchus.
A huge number of people participated in this event. Among them were famous people and members of noble families. Later, a rule appeared according to which people under the age of 20 were ordained into the so-called “sacrament”. Dissenters were thrown into the underground abyss. This was explained by the fact that people were taken by the gods.
This tradition is widespread. The celebration was attended by up to 7 thousand people.
However, an investigation was soon conducted and Bacchanalia in Ancient Rome was banned. Leaders and organizers massively executed. They were accused of molestation, murder and other violent crimes.
Thus ended the revelry of Bacnalius. However, he did not completely disappear. Just the organizers have become more careful. There was no publicity and such a massive crowd.