When the year opened, the Roman celebrated the fact by solemnizing in
its first month, March, the festivity of the father of the Roman people
by Rhea Silvia, the god who stood next to Jupiter; who, as Mars
Silvanus, watched over the fields and the cattle, and, as Mars Gradivus
(marching), delighted in bloody war, and was a fitting divinity to be
appealed to by Romulus as he laid the foundation of the city.
[Footnote: See page 19.] As spring progressed, sacrifices were offered
to Tellus, the nourishing earth; to Ceres, the Greek goddess Demeter,
introduced from Sicily B.C. 496, to avert a famine, whose character did
not, however, differ much from that of Tellus; and to Pales, a god of
the flocks. At the same inspiring season another feast was observed in
honor of the vines and vats, when the wine of the previous season was
opened and tasted. [Footnote: This was the ,_Vinalia urbana_ (_urbs_, a
city), but there was another festival celebrated August 19th, when the
vintage began, known as the _Vinalia rustica_ when lambs were
sacrificed to Jupiter. While the flesh was still on the altar, the
priest broke a cluster of grapes from a vine, and thus actually opened
the wine harvest.]
In like manner after the harvest, there were festivals in honor of Ops,
goddess of plenty, wife of that old king of the golden age, Saturnus,
introducer of social order and god of sowing, source of wealth and
plenty.
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