ROMAN HOLIDAYS/FESTIVALS By: Quasha Rawlings

Agonalia - On January 1st & 9th -Romans gave dates, figs, and honey sealed in white jars to the god Janus during this festival. Gifts such as money are given to family members.

Lupercalia

• -February 15th - men run around the streets naked while women are whipping them Amburbium -February This ritual was held in Rome to clean and purify the city and everything in it. The actual date changed from year to year, though it was usually held after the ides.

Hilaria

• - On March 25th -”Day of Joy” Celebrated in honor Attis• Attis -a Phrygian vegetation god, the consort of the great Mother Kybele

Fortuna Virilis - On April 1st - Celebrated by women who's wish to improved their relationships or marriage with men. Fortuna and Venus was sacred of this.

Ambarvalia• May 29 -This purification festival was held to honor Ceres and Dea Dia. During the festival participants would walk around their fields to sway the gods to bless the growing plants.

Carna

• June 1 • This festival is sacred to Carna.

Feriae Ancillarum• July 7 -"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.

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.

Meditrinalia: • September 30 -During this festival fruits were offered to Meditrina as a goddess of medicine.

VinaliaOctober 11 -During this festival the season's new wines were tested to make sure they were aging properly. Libations were given to Bacchus to insure that the wine would continue to ferment properly for consumption the following year.

Saturnia• November 29 -This festival honored the sons of Saturn: Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.

Saturnalia

• On December 17th - Similar to our “Christmas Holiday “

• After the rituals, the Senators (who had to be present) dismissed the crowd with the cry of "Io, Saturnalia!", a sign for the happy festivities of family parties and other private gatherings to begin. The traditional gifts were wax tapers and little dolls, although gifts of silver later became traditional

Credit (sources) • http://www.musesrealm.net/rome/fes

tivalsinfo.html• http://www.google.com• http://www.theoi.com/Phrygios/Attis.h

tml• http://

www.novaroma.org/religio_romana/saturnalia.html