February

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February ( Latin februa, -orum n. , "Cleaning, atonement; cleaning sacrifice ") was the name of the atonement and purification festival celebrated in February as part of the Lupercalia in the Roman Empire . According to Marcus Terentius Varro, they were committed on dies februatus .

Among other things, during the festival the young women were beaten by the priests, known as luperci , with thongs cut from goatskin, the februa, in order to protect them from sterility. The feast of this februatus was probably associated with the surnames February, February, February or February of Juno , which, according to Paul the Deacon, was especially venerated on this occasion . In his opinion, the name of the month February could even be derived from the epithet of the goddess, while Ovid only connects the name of the month with the festival and the luperci that are wandering around that month, but has nothing to report about the epithet Junos in connection with the name of the month. On the occasion of his remarks on the Lupercalia on February 15, he addresses her in his Fasti as Iuno Lucina .

See also

literature

Remarks

  1. Varro, De lingua Latina 6,13,34.
  2. ^ Servius , Commentary on Virgil , Aeneid 8,343.
  3. Ovid , Fasti 2, 19-34; Plutarch , Romulus 21.
  4. ^ Paulus Diaconus , Epitome zu Sextus Pompeius Festus 85.
  5. Ovid, Fasti 2.30-34.
  6. Ovid, Fasti 2,435-452