Neptunalia

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The Neptunalia were a festival in ancient Rome celebrated in honor of Neptune , god of the waters.

procedure

The Neptunalia took place on July 23rd in the heat and drought of summer, probably to ritually ask Neptune to prevent the water supply from drying up. Almost nothing is known about the ceremonies of the festival, except that huts were built from branches and leaves in which the Romans might celebrate, drink and amuse themselves., Comparable to the "huts" of the Jewish "Feast of Tabernacles" ( Sukkot ) .

The Neptunalia were a popular folk festival dating back to the early Roman period and were also included in the peasant calendar. In the imperial era there were also games in honor of Neptune ( ludi Neptunales or Neptunalici ), which merged with the Neptunalia and changed the character of the festival.

See also

literature

  • Angelika and Ingemar König: The Roman festival calendar of the republic . Stuttgart, Reclam 1991, pp. 65-66, ISBN 3-15-008693-0 .
  • Klaus Schickert: Neptunus . In: Der kleine Pauly , Vol. 4 (1972), Col. 64-66.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Horace , Carmina 3, 28, 1 ff .; Tertullian , De Spectaculis 6.
  2. ↑ Pliny , Naturalis historia 18, 132.