Parilia
ThePariliaorPaliliawas anancient Roman festivalof rural character performed annually on 21 April, aimed at cleansing both sheep and shepherd. It was carried out in acknowledgment to the Roman deityPales,a deity of uncertain gender who was a patron of shepherds and sheep.[1]
Oviddescribes the Parilia at length in theFasti,anelegiacpoem on theRoman religious calendar,and implies that it predates thefounding of Rome(753 BC in theVarronian chronology), as indicated by itspastoraland preagricultural concerns. During theRepublic,farmingwas idealized and central to Roman identity, so the festival took on a more generally rural character. Increasing urbanization caused the rustic Parilia to be reinterpreted rather than abandoned, as Rome was anintensely traditional society.During theImperial period,the date was celebrated as thebirthday of Rome(Latin:dies natalisRomaeornatalis Urbis).
History
[edit]By the end of the late Republic, the Parilia became associated with thebirthday of Rome.[2]Numerous accounts of the founding of Rome exist, but the particular one related to the Parilia is described by Ovid in hisFasti.According to this myth,Romulus,upon reaching Rome on the day of the Parilia, took a stick and engraved a line in the ground that defined the boundaries of the new city(pomerium).He then prayed to the godsJupiter,Mars,andVestaasking for protection of this area. However, his brotherRemus,unaware of the boundaries, crossed the line and was struck down by Romulus's henchmanCeler.[3]
Over time, and under the influence of several Roman rulers, the structure of the Parilia changed. First, afterJulius Caesarheard the news of Roman Victory atMundain 45 BC (around the date of the Parilia), he added games to the ceremony. At these games, the citizens would wear crowns in Caesar’s honor. Caligula instituted into the celebration a procession of priests, noblemen, boys and girls of noble birth singing of his virtues while escorting the Golden Shield, previously bestowed upon him by the citizens of Rome, to the Capitol.[citation needed]At this time the Parilia became Rome's birthday celebration rather than the rural festival it had once been.[citation needed]In 121 AD,Hadrianfounded a newtemple of Venus and Romaand changed the festival’s name to theRomaea.This temple was ruined in the 9th century.[1]
Ceremony
[edit]The pastoral structure of the festival is carried out by the shepherd himself. After the sheep pen had been decorated with green branches and a wreath draped on the gate, the remainder of the ceremony took place in sequence. At the first sign of daylight, the shepherd would purify the sheep: by sweeping the pen and then constructing a bonfire of straw, olive branches,laurel,and sulfur. The noises produced by this burning combination were interpreted as a beneficial omen. The shepherd would jump through this flame, dragging his sheep along with him. Offerings ofmillet,cakes, and milk were then presented beforePales,marking the second segment of the ceremony. After these offerings, the shepherd would wet his hands with dew, face the east, and repeat a prayer four times. Such prayers requested Pales’s assistance in freeing the shepherd and the flock from evils brought about by accidental wrongdoings (e.g. trespassing on sacred grounds and removing water from asacred water source).[4]The final portion of the rural festival made use of the beverage burranica, a combination of milk andsapa(boiled wine). After consumption of this beverage, the shepherd would leap through the fire three times, bringing an end to the ceremony.[5]
The urban form of the Parilia, on the other hand, is blended with other Roman religious practices and carried out by a priest. Ovid personally participated in this form and describes his experiences in theFasti.[3]While the central actions of the rural ceremony carry over, the urban form adds two ingredients from other religious festivals: the Fordicidia and theOctober Horse.TheFordicidiasacrifices a pregnant cow to the deityTellusto promote cattle and field fertility. The unborn calf is then removed from the womb and burnt. The October Horse is the right hand horse of the team that won a particular chariot race on October 15 of the previous year.[6]Together, the ashes of the unborn calf and the blood from the head of the October Horse are mixed by theVestalsand are added to the burning bean straw of the bonfire.[4]Dumézilquestioned whether theEquus Octoberprovided the horse blood,[7]since the two ancient sources that mention the ingredient omit identifying the victim.[8]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abThe Cambridge Ancient History 2nd Ed. Vol. X: The Augustan Empire 43 BC – AD 69.Cambridge University Press. Great Britain: 1996. pp. 816-817
- ^Kearns, Emily.The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion.Oxford University Press. Oxford: 2003. pp. 406.
- ^abOvid.Fasti;Gower, John.Ovids Festivalls, or Romane calendar, translated into English verse equinumerally.London: 1640. pp. 93-97.
- ^abFowler, Warde W.The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic.MacMillan and CO, Limited. London: 1899. pp. 79-85.
- ^Butrica, James L.Propertius on the Parilia(4.4.73-8). Classical Quarterly 50.2. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Great Britain: 2000. pp. 472-478.
- ^Adkins, Lesley & Roy A.Dictionary of Roman Religion.Facts on File Inc. New York: 1996. pp. 82, 168.
- ^G. DumezilLa religion romaine archaiqueParis, 1974, part 1, chap. 4 "Mars".
- ^PropertiusElegiae Romanae4, 1, 19-20 (where the horse is described ascurtus,"dismembered" ); OvidFastiIV, 721 sqq. The October Horse, however, is the only horse sacrifice known to have been practiced regularly by the Romans.