by Aldus Marius on Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:12 am
Salvete, Romani viatores!
The Fasti for Tuesday, 17 Martius:
ante diem XVI Kalendas Apriles [NP] Religiosus
LIBERALIA
AGONIUM MARTIALE
Notes: The Liberalia (from Liber, or Liber Pater, a name of Bacchus) was a simple and innocent festival of Bacchus (Ovid. Fast. III.713). A description of the ceremonies customary at this festival is given by Ovid (l.c.), with which may be compared Varro (Varr. De Ling. Lat. V.55, ed. Bipont.).
Priests and aged priestesses, adorned with garlands of ivy, carried through the city wine, honey, cakes, and sweet-meats, together with an altar with a handle (ansata ara), in the middle of which there was a small fire-pan (foculus), in which from time to time sacrifices were burnt. On this day Roman youths who had attained their sixteenth year received the toga virilis (Cic. ad Att. VI.1). That the Liberalia were celebrated with various amusements, and great merriment, might be inferred from the general character of Dionysiac festivals; but we may also see it from the name Ludi Liberales, which is sometimes used instead of Liberalia; and Naevius (ap. Fest.) expressly says that persons expressed themselves very freely at the Liberalia.
On the Agonium Martiale a victim was offered by the Salii agonales on the Mons Quirinalis, hence sometimes called Mons Agonus, in honour of Mars, or more probably of Quirinus. (Cal. Vatic.).
And from the SVR calendar:
* Feriae Marti continue.
* LIBERALIA: On this day old women, the sacerdotas Liberi, wearing wreaths of ivy on their heads, sit in all parts of the City with libum cakes and a brazier, on which they offer up the cakes on behalf of any purchaser (Varro, de L.L. VI.14).
* AGONALIA: On this day the Rex Sacrorum sacrifices a ram to Mars in the Regia. The assistant, minister sacrificii, would ask "agone?" To which the Rex Sacrorum replied "Hoc age."
* Compitalia is the day assigned to the Lares Viales; therefore, where the crossroads meet, sacrifice is made at the compita. (Varro, de L.L. VI.25). "I call upon you, Lares Viales, that you may well protect me." (Plautus, Mercator 865).
* Victory of Julius Caesar at Munda, 45 BCE.
* Death of M. Aurelius and ascension of Commodus, 180 CE.
In fide,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.