The Witchipedia does not claim to be experts on Roman Lore. The pages listed here were created because they related in some way to another article discussion of magick, witchcraft and the occult. Those who are specifically interest in the history, the magical and occult practices and the religions of ancient Rome can find valuable information by exploring other resources.
We recommend:
- Nova Roma
- Roman Republic
- The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire
- Tribunes and Triumphs - The Roman Empire and Coloseum
- Encyclopedia of Ancient History - Roman Mythology
Agonalia - The word Agonalia may derive from agonia meaning victim or agonium meaning festival.
Amburbium - Amburbium was a city-wide ritual that took place in ancient Rome during times of great distress. During this time everything in the city was cleansed and purified. There was a great procession three times around the city led by priests after which a hog, a ram and a bull were sacrificed. Some sources say that this ritual was traditionally performed in the middle of February.
Anna Perenna - Anna Perenna fell on the Ides of March (March 15) which would have been the first full moon of the year according to the old calendar. It honored the Goddess of the returning year.
Brumalia - Brumalia is an ancient Roman winter festival incorporating many smaller festivals celebrating Saturn, Ops and Bacchus. The word Brumalia comes from the Latin bruma meaning "shortest day".
Caristia - Caristia, or Cara cognatio, was a Roman feast day that fell on the 22nd of February, between the Feralia and the Terminalia. On this day the family gathered in the home for a big feast of thanksgiving for one another. Fathers were expected to be particularly attentive to their families during this time. Household and hearth deities were honored, but there were no major obligations as far as the state religion was concerned.
Carmentalia - This festival honored Carmenta, Roman Goddess of childbirth, healing and the future on January 11 and January 15. It was primarily a woman's festival.
Cerealia - Cerealia was a 7-day festival celebrated in ancient Rome in honor of the goddess Ceres. The exact dates of the April festival are uncertain: but it may have started started on the Ides of April. The festival involved women in white robes carrying torches in solidarity with the Goddess Ceres/Demeter's search for her lost daughter Proserphina/Persephone and was accompanied by the Ludi Ceriales or "Games of Ceres" in the Circus Maximus.
Compitalia - The Compitalia or Ludi Compitalicii was a festival celebrated once a year in honor of the Lares Compitales, household deities of the crossroads, to whom sacrifices were offered at the places where two or more ways meet. The word comes from the Latin compitum, a cross-way.
Diana - The name Diana comes from Latin divios meaning "heavenly" or "divine".
Equirria - Horse races were held on this day in honor of the God Mars on February 17th and March 14th.
Faunus - Faunus is the ancient Italic agricultural God who watched over the fertility of flocks and fields who was adopted by the ancient Romans and identified with the Greek God Pan. He is also associated with wolves and the protection of flocks from their predation.
Feast Of Epicurus - Epicurus was a philosopher in the third century B.C.E. who established a community he called "The Garden". The group accepted women, including courtesans, and slaves and was looked down upon by many of the pillars of society. After his death in 270 B.C.E., his followers celebrated a monthly feast in his honor.
Veneralia - Veneralia is an ancient Roman celebration of Venus that took place on the Kalends of Aprilis, that is, the first of April. Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, considered Venus to be his ancestor and Mars to be his father, so the ancient calendar of Rome began with the month of Mars (March) followed by the month of Venus, beginning with the celebration of the Goddess to whom it was dedicated.
Februa - The ancient Romans called the tools used for purification Februa and the purification rituals performed during the festival of Lupercalia (Also called dies Februatus, the day of purification or purging, February 15th.) were named for these tools, though februa of other sorts were used in other rites as well. The name for these tools was given also to the month in which it takes place, February (On the 15th). The Luperci priests would offer a goat in sacrifice and cut thongs from its flesh, these thongs were the februa. Then they circumambulated Palatine hill striking those that they met along the way with the thongs, which purified them. According to Plutarch1, women of childbearing age especially sought out this purification in hopes of increased fertility and easy childbirth.
Venus - The Latin Goddess Venus was originally a Goddess of the vine (Venus, Vino) and a protector of vineyards and gardens. She was adopted into the Roman pantheon as the local version of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Her original associations largely forgotten, most myths attributed to Venus that have survived today were originally Aphrodite's though She also borrows aspects from the Etruscan deity Turan. However, Venus does retain Her own personality.
Janus - The ancient Roman God Janus, or more properly Ianus, is the God of beginnings, endings, transitions, times, doorways, gateways, passageways, movement and travelling. He is depicted as having two faces because he sees both the past and the future and is looking both and where you've been and where you're going. He was ritually invoked by the priests at the beginning of each ceremony for all the other Gods as he reigns as guardian of the gates between worlds and thus intermediary between mortals and the divine.
Julian Calendar - The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Ceasar in 45 BCE in response to the confusion of the previous Roman calendar which was very inaccurate and required regular meetings of officials to decide when days should be added or removed to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. To further the confusion, it seems these officials sometimes added or removed days to suit their own ends, for example, they might remove a few days to get a public official they were not fond of out of office quicker.
Juno - Juno is the Roman Queen of the Gods, Goddess of women and protectress of the state. She is often associated with the Greek Hera and the Etruscan Goddesses Uni or Cupra. Together with Jupiter and Minerva she was part of the Capitoline Triad of the primary Gods of Rome and is the mother of Mars the tutelary God of Rome. The month June is named for Her and the first day of each month, the Kalends, is dedicated to Her.
Jupiter - In Roman mythology, Jupiter or Jove is the King of the Gods and the God of the sky and thunder. He has been associated with zeus of the Greek Pantheon.
Lupercalia - Lupercalia was an ancient Roman fertility festival celebrated on February 15 in honor of Faunus. Priests called Luperci walked through the streets with strips of goatskin with which they struck festival goers in order to purify them and ensure their fertility.
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