The Roman festival of Larentalia was held on 23 December but was ordered to be observed twice a year by Augustus; by some supposed to be in honour of the Lares,[1][2] a kind of domestic genii, or divinities, worshipped in houses, and esteemed the guardians and protectors of families, supposed to reside in chimney-corners.[3] Others have attributed this feast in honour of Acca Larentia, the nurse of Romulus and Remus, and wife of Faustulus.[4][5][6] During this festival, offerings were made to the dead,[7][8] usually at altars dedicated to Acca Larentia.[9] A sacrifice was typically offered in the Velabrum,[10] the spot where Acca Larentia is buried.[11][12] Larentalia was part of a series of ancient Roman festivals and holidays celebrating the end of the old year and the start of the new.[13][14]

References edit

  1. ^ Taylor, Lily Ross (1925-07-01). "The Mother of the Lares". American Journal of Archaeology. 29 (3): 299–313. doi:10.2307/497560. ISSN 0002-9114. JSTOR 497560. S2CID 192992171.
  2. ^ Laing, Gordon (1921). "The Origin of the Cult of the Lares". Classical Philology. 16 (2): 124–140. doi:10.1086/360343. ISSN 0009-837X. JSTOR 262829. S2CID 161491522.
  3. ^ Abraham Rees (1819). The Cyclopædia: Or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown. pp. 313–.
  4. ^ Wouter W. Belier (1991). Decayed Gods: Origin and Development of Georges Dumézil's "Idéologie Tripartie". BRILL. pp. 91–. ISBN 90-04-09487-3.
  5. ^ Krappe, Alexander H. (1942-10-01). "Acca Larentia". American Journal of Archaeology. 46 (4): 490–499. doi:10.2307/499082. ISSN 0002-9114. JSTOR 499082. S2CID 245275195 – via University of Chicago Press.
  6. ^ Phillips, C. Robert (2015-12-22). "Acca Larentia". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.12. ISBN 978-0-19-938113-5. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  7. ^ Mirković, Miroslava (2015). "Acca Larentia: Myth and Model". Belgrade Historical Review. 6 – via ResearchGate.
  8. ^ Limoges, Sarah. "Reconstructing religion: Augustus and the «Fratres Arvales»". escholarship.mcgill.ca. Michael Fronda (Internal/Supervisor). Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  9. ^ Robert E. A. Palmer (2 October 1970). The Archaic Community of the Romans. Cambridge University Press. pp. 113–. ISBN 978-0-521-07702-6.
  10. ^ Palmer, Robert E. A.; Palmer, Robert E. A. (1970-10-02). The Archaic Community of the Romans. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-07702-6.
  11. ^ Henderson, Helene, and Thompson, Sue Ellen, ed. “Larentalia.” Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Vol. 2. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1997.
  12. ^ Wiseman, T. P. (2004). "Where was the nova via?". Papers of the British School at Rome. 72: 167–183. doi:10.1017/S0068246200002701. ISSN 2045-239X. S2CID 162364465 – via Cambridge Core.
  13. ^ Henderson, Helene, ed. "Larentalia." Holidays, Symbols and Customs. Vol. 4. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2009
  14. ^ Holleman, A. W. J. (1976). "End and Beginning in the Ancient Roman Year (A Sabine element ?)". Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire. 54 (1): 63. doi:10.3406/rbph.1976.3076.