Fontanalia

The Fontanalia (also Fontinalia ) were an old Roman fountain festival, which was celebrated every year on October 13th , because at this time after the drought all springs flowed again. Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) gives a brief description of the festival in his explanation of the name. In De lingua Latina 6, 22 it says: “Fontanalia a Fonte, quod is dies feriae eius; ab eo tum et in fontes coronas iaciunt et puteos coronant ”. ("The fountain festival Fontanalia is derived from the god Fons because this day is his feast day. From this day on, wreaths of flowers are thrown into the springs and the fountains are also decorated with wreaths.")

reception

Taking up Varro's description, the poet Christoph W. Bauer wrote his cycle of poems fontanalia (fragments). (Haymonverlag, 2003) begin: "Fontanalia a Fonte in fontes coronas iaciunt / et puteos coronant or to speak differently come to the fountain". This is followed by 15 poems interspersed with quotations from the long tradition of fountain poems.